


Zootopia: Where in the Universe?

by Ziyongliu



Category: Guardians of the Galaxy (Cartoon), Guardians of the Galaxy (Movies), Marvel (Comics), Rocket Raccoon (2014), Zootopia (2016)
Genre: Adventure, Alternate Universe, Apocalypse, Crossover, F/M, Furry, Mild Boy x Boy, Romance, Sci-Fi, Slight Canon Divergence, wildehopps
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-09-23
Updated: 2018-04-19
Packaged: 2019-01-04 09:43:10
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 8
Words: 25,632
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12166398
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ziyongliu/pseuds/Ziyongliu
Summary: The guardians were close into capturing the leader of the Halfworld pirates, Blue. However the cunning feline refused to get captured easily and fled his last base resulting in a hot space pursuit. The guardians were in separate ships in an attempt to corner the blue cat but the Halfworld creature outmaneuvered them one by one until it was only Rocket and Groot behind his tail.In an attempt to lose the tree and the raccoon, Blue enters an asteroid belt hoping that Rocket wouldn’t follow but the raccoon was as stubborn as he was desperate. Just when Blue ran out of luck, a dimensional rift opened. Blue entered thinking, Rocket wouldn’t follow him and the moment he went past the space-rip, he was miles outside the atmosphere of another planet.Rocket’s ship crashed against Blue’s and the duo ascended rapidly into the planet. They miraculously survived and all that told them where they were was a sign that read, “Welcome to Zootopia!”





	1. Prologue

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> For the book cover: http://www.furaffinity.net/view/27065712/
> 
> This is a tie-in to Rocket Raccoon and the Halfworld Pirates--a story I'm going to make after this one xD  
> I'm practicing my art skills so I need some comical results. I'm currently making a cover for this one. I'll release it as soon as I finish.

 

Rocket was among the debris of his crashed ship. He was covered in dirt and some torn metal from the walls of his spacecraft. Just moments before landing, Groot had rooted him on his seat to prevent any critical damage and it worked albeit he was thrown from the pilot’s area.

“Groot, buddy, you okay?” Rocket coughed from the dust that was flying all around them. It covered them up like fog. Steam from broken pipes escaped with their environment, not helping but blind them all the more. Few livewires buzzed and spat from the ridges of its containment. A grumbling sound came from the piles of metal sheaths and from below it was Groot.

“I am…Groot!” he said as he pushed over the piles of metals.

Rocket scurried toward him and as his wooden friend stood tall, they both jumped out of their destroyed spacecraft.

They landed on dirt—the flat dirt at least. Behind them was a trail of excavated land and leaning trees from their violent crash. It was day—midday with the sun straight above them.

Familiar, Rocket thought. The blueness of the sky, the too-white cirrus clouds, the pointed pines and rich soil underneath his feet—it seemed as though as he’s already seen it before.

“Are we in Terra?” asked Rocket which Groot answered with an unsure shrug.

Rocket looked among the trees and searched for the woodland creatures (except his self) as he figured it was the mark of something Terran. There were other planets that had similar characteristics with Terra—Berhert for example and Juxx—but Terra had one trademark and those were the tiny, furry mammals living in the trees.

“I don’t think it’s Terra,” Rocket said. “There’s no… _rodents_ on the trees.” It was difficult saying that word. Rocket never really liked that word for he was once called that but he didn’t know what word to use and from his previous visits in Terra, that was what those little things were called…that was what _he_ was called.

A flock of birds fled in the open above them and Rocket immediately reacted with the sound. A loud click came from the direction of the birds and on that same spot was a bloodied Blue aiming a gun he could barely hold up.

“Persistent pest!” he yelled. He leaned his shoulder on a pine tree beside him. His temple bled, tinting his blue fur darker all the way to his cheeks. One eye was battered to closure and the other, forced open. The arm he leaned against the bark of the pine was obviously paralyzed but twitched in a painfully-looking manner. His gun hand quivered as he forced to keep the weapon aimed and he took in small amounts of breaths in fast intervals.

“Drop it, maniac, you’re already captured,” Rocket spat as he walked toward the bleeding feline.

“Stay back or I shoot!” Blue yelled. His gun hand fell down a second but he lifted it up again with greater effort this time.

“And if I stay back, you won’t?” Rocket kept on approaching. “Groot, tie this idiot’s hands after I capture him.”

Blue’s eye twitched and he let out a yell as he pulled the trigger. The raccoon was hardly rattled as the projectile didn’t even come close to him. Blue kept on shooting aimlessly until Rocket kicked the gun out from Blue’s grip. One punch Rocket gave and the already weak feline became unconscious.

The Halfworld pirate knelt on the ground, a trail of sticky blood mixed with saliva drooling from his mouth. Rocket pulled Blue’s hands behind his back and Groot cuffed the feline with thick, dried vines.

“I am Groot?”

“Do you think I don’t see that hunk of debris, which is our ship, beside us?” Rocket said irritably. “We’ll just fix it and regroup with the others…goddammit.”

Groot lifted Blue up and carried him on his back as though he wore a backpack. He even grew gentle green vines to keep the cat from falling and cushioned it with some leaves.

“He’s a criminal,” Rocket said harshly as he eyed the bloodied, unconscious feline getting pampered by his friend.

“I am Groot,” Groot replied immediately which seemed to have silenced the raccoon. It was true. They _were_ criminals too—no different from Blue but that wasn’t the reason Groot was being gentle. Groot always had a soft spot for animals.

“Alright, enough of that,” Rocket said, “I think I saw a civilization not far from here as we _landed_. Let’s steal some stuff to fix our ship so we could be on our way.”


	2. Welcome to Zootopia!

Every mammal had been talking recently of ‘the void’. It was a space phenomenon first noticed outside Zootopia—in the Triburrows where less light pollution blocked any sight of the heaven. It was a sphere much darker than the darkest black and had a swirl at the ridges as though it vacuumed. According to the provincial residents, the void had opened up one week before the city even noticed. It was just the size of a bottle cap near the eye, described one of the residents but grew larger until it was visible in the urban sky at night.

The MASA (Mammalian Aeronautics and Space Administration) released no official statement about the void and handed the media what information was necessary to feed the citizens to prevent worldwide panic. It was all over the social media and newspapers making sure that no mammal young and old would miss out the presence of the peculiar phenomenon.

Since the appearance of the void, not only Zootopia but other cities as well were disrupted. No anarchy at large scales happened yet although there were some reports of small panic and disorder happening in some regions of Zootopia. Other cities have it much rougher.

With the appearance of the void, many conspiracy theorists, false prophets, terrorists, anti-governments etc. had surfaced. Some were claiming that it was the end; some were saying that aliens had come to invade them while some just took advantage of the unstable state of society to perform crimes.

As the week passes though, the void just keeps on growing. The MASA hypothesized the worst—that the void will keep on growing until it swallows the Earth but some scientists contradicted, saying that the void doesn’t vacuum and the worst could be that it would block the sun. As for what it could really do…no one was sure.

The matter on the void was worsened after the previous night when two objects came out of the it and crashed somewhere outside the vicinity of Zootopia. The city government had to dispatch teams to investigate the foreign objects as well as keep the media away from the site.

Chief Bogo spared no mammal on the case. He handed out individual works for teams of officers and when the heroic duo, Wilde and Hopps, were all that’s left, he invited them to his office.

Nick and Judy followed, waiting for the buffalo to dispatch them.

“Wilde, Hopps,” Bogo said, “I’m giving you the most important job.”

“Just to be sure, chief, it’s not putting road cones by the city entrance, is it?” Nick retorted instantly with his trademark sass at work.

“That’s exactly what you’re going to do,” Bogo said.

Judy seemed unsatisfied. “But chief, I thought you were going to give us the most important job of all…have we not proved ourselves to you at the Nighthowler case?”

Chief Bogo sat down on his chair as though he just dropped himself, sending vibrations on the office floor. He folded his arms in front of him and raised his brow.

“It’s because you have proven yourselves at the Nighthowler case that I’m giving you this most important role,” Bogo said sternly. “Do you think I’m underestimating you?”

“Sir, with all due respect, any officer could put up police lines and road cones…why—”

“It’s more than just putting police lines and road cones, Hopps,” Bogo said. “You’re not just going to keep the civilians from the site; you and Wilde are going to keep the media out of this.”

A sense of realization shot Judy.

Bogo continued, “MASA sent us high definition footage of the foreign objects that came out of the void.” Bogo took out his phone and showed the footage to the officers.

Nick and Judy climbed on the table and squinted to re-watch the video that was uploaded just recently however this one was much clearer—taken from a high quality camera. From the void there was definitely something—two things that came falling. Although the footage was clear, they still couldn’t understand what those two objects were.

Chief Bogo flipped his phone toward him and swiped through it for a while and then showed two clear images of what came from the void. The two officers’ mouths dropped open at the sight of a spaceship. It was a real spaceship like none they’ve ever seen.

Judy’s stomach turned and she felt her knees weaken. So aliens, Judy thought.

“Do you understand now why you hold the most important role?” Bogo asked.

Nick climbed down the table. The awe was still very visible on his expression as he finished Bogo’s point. “If the media finds out about this, there would be worldwide panic.”

“And the force needs you two: Officer Judith Laverne Hopps and Officer Nicholas Piberius Wilde—the heroes of Zootopia whom the people trust more than anyone to divert their attention. MASA contacted us for temporary containment since the ships crashed on our territory. We are to hold out until head-government officials arrive.” Chief Bogo opened the lower drawer of his table and handed papers to Nick and Judy. “These are excuses to whatever the media would ask although I trust that if Officer Wilde might have something better in mind, he could use it.”

Judy took the papers and handed Nick a copy.

“Meteors…” Judy read.

Nick seemed pretty satisfied with the excuses and with no further delay, the two officers left the buffalo’s office.

They were walking outside the ZPD, their focuses on the excuse papers when Judy suddenly stopped. Nick walked a few steps ahead of her before realizing that the bunny was no longer beside him.

“Carrots?” Nick looked over his shoulder. Judy spaced out on the floor, her nose twitching unnaturally slow. Nick walked back to her and placed a paw on her shoulder. “You okay, Judy?” he asked.

Judy snapped out from her trance. Nick calling her by the first name meant he was really worried. “I’m sorry for making you worry,” she apologized. “I just couldn’t get over the video.”

Nick smiled for the purpose of influencing Judy to lighten up a little but even he was afraid of what he saw. “It’s okay, Carrots. We’ll get through this. Let’s just do our job…who knows? The aliens might be friendly or dead. Either of the two, we’re safe.” He began walking ahead hoping Judy might follow.

Judy stopped Nick on his tracks with an assumption. “What if there are more of them?” she said gravely.

Nick swallowed and turned to face Judy with a smile. “Then let’s hope they’re friendly…”

“What if they’re not?”

“What if they are?” Nick slightly raised his voice. He called Judy beside him. “Let’s hope for the best and prepare for the worst. If they turn out to be _unfriendly_ then we fight. You know how to do that, right?”

Judy nodded her head and went over to Nick, repeating the fox’s words: Hope for the best and prepare for the worst. She repeated it until it became her mantra.

***

They held off the media at the edge of Zootopia. The two officers along with others chief Bogo assigned to them barricaded the exit of the town while at the same time keeping the people from panicking to such procedures.

“Please, the ZPD is currently at work so we cannot let civilians hinder them,” Judy pushed back her hands as a gesture to calm the enraging media.

“Officer Judy Hopps, could you give us a statement about the foreign objects that came from the void?” asked a bunny journalist.

“It was just a meteor, that’s all,” Judy answered.

“If that’s everything there is, then why is all of the ZPD at the site and not letting anyone in?” questioned another journalist.

“As I have said before,” Judy raised her voice to fight off the sounds of multiple journalists speaking all together. “We do not want any casualties at the crash site during investigation.”

It was of no use. For every question Judy answered, came another. It was all just circling and circling until it goes over to the very first question asked.

A faint helicopter noise gradually loudened until the figure of the aircraft was hovering just above them. From the helicopter dropped down a rope ladder and from the rope ladder came down a silver bunny striped symmetrically on both cheeks. He wore a black suit, eyes covered by sunglasses and a wired earphone on his left ear. He took over Judy’s position the moment he got down.

“Government official, Jack Savage,” he introduced himself. “I come with firsthand intelligence from MASA over the foreign object that crashed.”

The media that bothered Judy all crowded on agent Savage.

“I will only be releasing one statement but the condition is no further questions after that,” he said. There was an authoritative vibe with him that was able to tame the media. Just after presenting his condition, the media settled down quietly like eager children listening to their favorite story.

Jack coughed his voice to adjust. “The foreign object that came from the void still has not a name. It’s the equivalent of a meteor in our world however it’s also more than that. It’s a new material with many mysteries but one thing is for certain—it’s a resource we could use to advance our current age of technology. MASA saw endless uses of the foreign object so all we could hope is for more of those _meteorites_ to come into our possession. That is all.”

After turning his back, most of the journalists complied with the condition. All except a beaver that still had a lot of questions and pushed further to have Jack Savage answer them. The government rabbit clocked his head and peeked his eyes through his sunglasses—a glare that had the beaver reconsider his decision in asking further.

Judy sighed in relief as she had achieved the peace she so desperately sought since she arrived. She went over to Jack savage to extend her gratitude.

“Excuse me, Mr. Savage?” Judy called.

Jack had one of his brows raised but it was difficult surmising his expression with his eyes covered by sunglasses. “A bunny in the ZPD…” he mumbled to himself and it dawned to him, “Officer Hopps. The hero bunny of Zootopia,” he smiled.

Judy felt flattered even more so after seeing Jack Savage smile. Being able to witness buck, bunny teeth in spite of his tough visage warmed up Judy’s impression of Jack.

“Pleasure to meet you,” he extended his paw, “I’m agent Savage but please, call me Jack.”

Judy reached in for Jack’s paw. “Very well then. It’s a pleasure to meet you, Jack.”

A shadow towered over them and the two bunnies looked to the source—a red vulpine with his hands planted strictly on his hips as though he caught criminals red handed.

Jack took off his sunglasses. “A fox…” he said, “ _The_ fox. You must be Officer Nicholas Wilde.” He folded his arms in front of his chest in acknowledgment. “The first bunny and fox in the force. I like your dynamics.”

“And you are?” Nick copied Jack’s gesture.

“Agent Jack Savage,” he extended his paw.

Nick was reluctant but he reached in out of courtesy nonetheless. They shook once and withdrawn as though they burned each other.

“Just call me agent Savage,” Jack added.

Nick rolled his eyes and smirked. “But Officer Carrots can call you Jack? My, is there a level difference of respect around here?”

Jack pocketed his hands and straightened his posture as he faced Nick. “Are you implying that I like Officer Hopps?” he asked. And before Nick could answer, Jack spoke again. “Your implication is correct. I do like her. I admire her. What about you Officer Wilde? Do you like Officer Hopps?”

Judy was clueless to the sudden tension showing up between Jack and Nick. She wasn’t really all that concerned about Jack’s admiration but so suddenly, she found herself so eager about what Nick’s answer will be.

Nick furrowed his brows but caught his façade before it fell. Wearing his usual sly look, he answered Jack confidently. “I like her,” Nick said, “But not in the way you’re thinking.”

Judy felt a little at loss. She was trying to read between the lines while at the same time keep herself from being so presumptuous. Did Jack mean it in a romantic way? If so then Nick doesn’t like her that way. She felt that she had to cut it there.

“That’s enough, you two,” she interjected. “Act like professionals. You’re not kittens in the sandbox anymore.”

“I was a puppy,” Nick corrected which Judy responded with a rooting glower. Nick swallowed, “All the same, I got your point, Officer Carrots.” He saluted.

Jack smiled at Judy and walked beside her. To annoy Nick on purpose, he whispered on Judy’s ear. “I know you’re well aware of what those foreign objects were,” he said. “And I look forward to working with you on that case.”

Nick stared annoyingly at Jack, wishing he could break the two up but feared that Judy might scold him for it.

Jack continued, “This is classified information but because I believe in your skills, I’m sharing this with you. The void is a gate.”

“All right, cut it out, agent Savage,” Nick mocked. “She’s my partner. Whatever you need to tell her, you should tell me too.”

Jack drew back, fixing the creases of his suit. “I just told her that I really like her a lot,” Jack smirked at Nick. “You’re her partner not her boyfriend so I feel that that kind of information should be between her and me, no? After all, you don’t like her the way I think you do, am I right?”

Nick’s eye twitched. His paws were clenched to knuckles as he watched the annoying bunny go over the police lines. After a while, he approached Judy.

“That guy didn’t really just tell you he liked you…did he?” Nick confirmed.

Jack’s final statement lingered inside Judy’s head: _This information should just be between you and me._ She wanted to tell Nick but then she couldn’t…not when somebody trusted her enough with classified information. Shaking herself back to the present, she answered, “Why do you care? I thought you didn’t like me the way Jack thought.”

“Seriously, Carrots?” Nick felt a little surprised at Judy’s reply. I guess he did influence her to be a little sassy.

***

The ZPD returned around twilight. The void was already visible during the day but it was more visible during night as it blocked some constellations and could be seen despite the light pollution. Judy stared blankly at the dark rip, Jack’s voice echoing inside her head: _It’s a gate._ He wanted to tell Nick so bad because with that information, they could all work together but she knew she shouldn’t.

Jack entrusted her with the information. She didn’t have the right to just give it away. A paw rested behind her back but was unfamiliar. She had already assumed it was Nick since the fox was the only one with the kinesthetic privilege around her but this paw was much smaller compared to Nick’s that encompassed almost her whole back.

“Officer Hopps?” It was Jack and he had his paw behind Judy.

Judy stretched out a smile. “You can just call me Judy,” she said and then added in a moment, “For convenience. Officer Hopps is too long,” she chortled.

Jack chortled as well. “I see, I see,” he said. “Remember what I told you earlier?”

Judy nodded up and down.

“I think it’s time we discuss it.”

Judy shifted solemnly. She pulled her attention away from the void and put it all on Jack.

The striped bunny then realized the immediateness of his statement and took it back. “I mean not here but it has to be now since we will be moving late at night. How about we discuss it over dinner?”

Judy snapped in agreement. “Sure.”

Jack rubbed the back of his neck. “I’m new to Zootopia actually. Do you know any good restaurants? Preferably with less mammals so we could discuss the matter in peace.”

Judy pondered for a while. “There’s this restaurant in Tundra Town with very few mammals…probably because of the prices on the menu. I don’t think I could afford it,” she mumbled to herself but Jack heard it.

“That’s perfect,” Jack said, “and don’t worry. I invited you so let me be your host for this dinner.”

Judy was in a haze of reluctance. “Are you sure? Nick and I have only been there once and that was on an undercover operation. We only get to look at the menu.”

“Have you seen anything you like?” Jack asked.

Judy only shrugged. “My mind was really focused on the operation that time. I wasn’t really thinking and the prices were what stuck on my mind because they were ridiculously high.”

Jack chuckled. “Text me the address then and meet me there at eight. We both have two hours to prepare,” he winked and walked out.

Once Jack was no longer beside Judy, Nick finally approached. “Did cotton-butt bother you? What did he say?”

Judy was about to tell Nick about the plan but she was able to stop herself just before it got out of her mouth. She kept forgetting that it was information she couldn’t share with Nick. And she felt bad for having to hide it. Instead of telling the truth, she forged a lie.

“Jack and I are going on a date,” Judy said.

Nick’s mouth dropped. “For real?” Nick was in disbelief, “Carrots, is that even you? You just met the guy.”

Judy shrugged her shoulders. “That’s the purpose of a date, Nick—so you could be able to know someone you don’t.”

Nick gritted his teeth and looked at the direction where Jack left but the bunny was no longer there. He averted his attention back at Judy. “But we were going out tonight, did you forget that?”

Judy totally forgot had Nick not reminded her. She felt bad but covered it up with the thought that Jack and her really weren’t going on a date. That was just a lie to cover up the fact that they will be discussing classified matters.

“You know what, forget it,” Nick turned away and joined the other officers crowding by the entrance.

Judy reached out for Nick but stopped herself. Once she produces results with her team up with Jack, Nick will surely understand. He always does.

***

Blue had woken up three hours ago and for three hours he’s been spitting nonsense while restrained by a braid of vines carrying him behind Groot. They trudged the pine forest, hoping to find the civilization Rocket saw as they were crashing but they came toward no intelligent life that they could talk to.

“Groot, buddy,” Rocket said, “I told you this the first thirty-minutes he woke up and I’m telling you again. Gag that idiot up or I’ll fricking beat the crap out of him again.”

Groot shrugged, “I am Groot.”

“What do you mean it’s cruel?” Rocket looked over his tall friend. “That jerk’s crazy. He tried to kill us and that’s just the stuff we know. I’m not asking you to suffocate him. Just cover his mouth with vines or something.”

“I am Groot,” Groot chuckled.

“He is not in any way funny. At all,” Rocket contradicted while eyeing Groot and Blue.

“Your friend here has more sense of humor than you,” Blue said. From his position, he spat on Rocket. The ball of saliva landed exactly at the center of Rocket’s head. “Blood. I’m still bleeding thanks to you.”

Rocket pulled his ears down. “That’s it!” he scurried up Groot’s shoulder and began clawing at the helpless cat.

Blue hissed at Rocket, biting the raccoon’s hand that came too close. Rocket tried to lock Blue by the neck but Blue caught Rocket’s hand between his fangs.

“Ow!” Rocket yelled.

Sentient vines circled Rocket’s wrists and waist and he was held midair.

“What the hell are you doing, you idiot?” Rocket yelled as he squirmed to get away from Groot’s constraints.

“I am Groot,” he said.

“That’s what you get for picking a fight on me,” Blue taunted and nuzzled his cheeks on Groot’s back as he let out a loud purr.

“Are you for real, Groot?!” Rocket snapped. “Don’t think that asshole’s not gonna take your life if he had the chance.”

“I am Groot.”

“If you know then why are you taking his side?” Rocket retorted.

“I…am Groot.”

“No. It’s obvious you’re taking sides.” Rocket grunted and then let out a deep sigh. “I’m calm. Now put me down.”

It was two hours after dark when Rocket finally arrived at a scene of intelligent life but he had to stop at the site of more of _them_ …

“Are you kidding me?” Rocket said to himself and then looked at Blue who was just as surprised as he was. “Are we in Halfworld?” Rocket said under his breath. “Let’s make contact.”

“Wait!” Blue called. “Don’t be rash they could capture us.”

Rocket snorted, not heeding the cat’s warning. “You don’t have a say in this, Bluey,” Rocket said as he marched forward without the slightest regard for what could happen. He’s been to many planets before and none ever tried to capture him except in those where he had a criminal record. For sure in this one, Rocket didn’t have any.

Blue spoke to Groot in hopes he could convince Rocket. “Groot,” Blue said, “The fact doesn’t change that I am your enemy and that I would kill both of you if given the opportunity but I don’t have the intention of dying with you two and right now… what Rocket is doing—he’s walking the path where we could all die.”

“What nonsense are you blabbering, pussycat?” Rocket didn’t even look back.

Blue was desperate, “Groot, please…I’ve been to planets like these—no spacecrafts, a bit olden—they’ll exploit us, I know it.”

“I am—”

“Halt who goes there!” a wolf aimed a gun at Rocket.

Rocket raised his hands in the air. “We’re just lost and are in need of materials. Do you think you have any? How much units for spare parts?”

The wolf talked over his radio. “Encounter with one civi—” the wolf was in awe after witnessing the tree creature that showed itself from the edge of the forest.

Groot waved.

If Blue could slap himself, he would have done it over and over again.

The wolf looked at the trio before having a realization. “They’re from the void!” the wolf howled. In a moment, the available animals that idly stood by crowded in on them, aiming guns.

“Woah, we’re friendly, dude, calm down,” Rocket walked forward and received a warning shot from the wolf.

At the fire of the projectile, Groot whipped up a vine that wrapped around the raccoon and pulled him back.

“I told you!” Blue gritted his teeth.

“Shut up!” Rocket reached in for his back but found that his retractable gun wasn’t in its place. It took him all day before he noticed that he was unarmed. And not even a word about it from Groot. “Crap,” Rocket said, “Alright, buddy, you’re gonna have to fight them on your own but don’t worry, I’ll provide assistance once I get my hands on their weapon.”

Groot hesitated, “I am Groot…”

“No, they’re not like us,” Rocket said. For a long time, he once again felt afraid. When Groot becomes reluctant, both of them become vulnerable in battle. “Don’t think of them like us. They’re evil.”

Groot looked around and noticed that beyond the gate were less hostile beings. Knowing that he couldn’t just fight, he separated Blue from him without moving the cat’s constraints and wore the vine-straps on Rocket.

“Don’t move!” warned a rhinoceros but Groot didn’t stop.

After securing Blue on Rocket’s back, Groot readied his left hand.

“No, buddy, what are you doing?” Rocket asked.

As fast as Groot could strike, he grew his hand beyond the gate, letting Rocket escape into the city without any of the officers following. Groot grappled the wall of the entrance and grew a wall of vines, making sure that if the animals pass through, Rocket would have long hidden. It was only a matter of time, as Blue said, that Groot would be captured and exploited.


	3. Friendly or Unfriendly

Nick was by the entrance pondering over the fact that right now, that Savage bunny was taking Judy to dinner. It had been two hours since he last saw them and though his shift had ended in keeping guard at the gate, he refused to go home. Tonight was supposed to be their night, Nick thought but in just one encounter—not even a long one after that, Judy had been snatched from him.

“Halt who goes there!” Nick amply heard Wolford’s voice and the click of a gun. He dropped whatever he was feeling currently and watched the direction where Wolford aimed his gun.

It was already dark but Nick could still see as well as Wolford who was the first to notice something. From the edge of the forest out of the shrubs, came out a raccoon.

Nick let his guard down but seeing the raccoon dressed rather strangely, he had an absurd thought…albeit absurd would be the last thing he should use to describe after watching the footage chief Bogo showed them earlier. If those were ships, then there were pilots.

Aliens, Nick thought, what did they look like? He imagined those kitten shows on television he grew up watching where aliens were depicted as normal animals but sometimes furless or in most cases the color of fur that was really unusual like blue and purple et cetera with quadruple eyes and distorted figures. He didn’t quite expect something so normal looking.

Not long after the raccoon’s appearance came another—now that was what truly surprised Nick. The image of aliens never quite occurred to him _that_ way—a sentient tree carrying a blue cat behind his back.

Every officer came at the site and aimed their guns—all except Nick who found himself rooted by the thought and awe of witnessing foreign life. That’s not it, Nick thought, unknowingly criticizing his coworkers’ approach. He heard the raccoon speak common therefore communication was possible but he understood Wolford’s part—all of the officers’ parts. They were all afraid.

After a warning shot came from Wolford, the tree creature pulled in the raccoon to its protection. Moments after that, the tree creature shot the raccoon and the cat inside the city before maneuvering itself by the entrance, blocking any officers from coming in.

Nick fell on the ground as he evaded the tree-animal’s shot. Officers contacted Nick.

“Officer Wilde commence pursuit!” MacHorn spoke.

Nick immediately grasped his composure and got up. The raccoon was carrying the blue cat on his back in a vine-strap. That’ll surely slow him down, Nick thought but found the case wasn’t that at all.

The raccoon was fast even with a load and Nick could only imagine if he didn’t. They chase each other by the first district at night—Sahara Square. The adjacent district was Tundra Town where Jack and Judy were.

Nick took out his phone while at the same time he evaded obstacles and kept his eyes on the fleeing raccoon. He dialed Judy. The phone rang but she wasn’t picking up. He called her few more times until the recipient could no longer be reached. Pushing back the device inside his pocket, he focused solely on pursuit.

Nick had an advantage—he knew the place but that also puts him at a disadvantage since the raccoon didn’t and that means the raccoon could just about go anywhere randomly. Nick was thankful that the district was already asleep. There were no passersby that could hinder his chase.

He chased them through the back alleys and streets, until eventually the raccoon was cornered at a dead end between two buildings.

“Alright…give it up,” Nick gasped and took out his gun.

The raccoon lifted his hands in the air and faced him. A change of expression suddenly met the raccoon’s face. “Where are the others?”

“There…are…no others,” Nick panted and then regained his composure, strictly aiming the gun at the raccoon.

“You’ve got to be kidding me,” the raccoon said, “and here I thought there were more of you.”

“I tried telling you there was only one,” the blue cat behind him said.

“Shut up!” the raccoon whispered harshly back, “I don’t trust you, jerk.”

“Why would I lie? If you get captured, I’m captured as well,” the cat retorted.

“Alright, alright,” the raccoon said, “Drop the gun, foxy before things get ugly.”

Nick assessed the situation. The raccoon was fast even with a load and the fact that the raccoon was showing pure confidence despite having a gun aimed at him meant that he’s not all talk. On the other hand, even with a gun, Nick wasn’t much of a fighter. With a load or without, the raccoon could take him down. For faster results, all the raccoon had to do was place the cat down temporarily and end goes Officer Wilde. Nick’s true weapon was his mind.

He placed the gun back in his holster.

“Smart move,” the raccoon said and decided to walk past Nick.

In time, Officer MacHorn contacted Nick again. “Officer Wilde, have you captured them?”

Nick spoke through the radio, “I lost sight of them,” and shut the thing off.

“Are you sure you wanna go back out there? They could be looking for you,” Nick said and added, “You know, the other officers won’t be as cowardly as me to let you get away.”

The raccoon grunted and walked to the edge of the alleyway. Peeking, he returned back. The whole place was littered with animals in the same attire as the fox.

“Perhaps we could crack a deal,” Nick smirked slyly.

The raccoon sighed, pondering to give the fox a chance. “To me you looked like an agent of their authority.”

“I am,”

“Yet you deceive your comrades. For that I like you and for everything else, I don’t give a shit about. What’s your deal?”

“I saw what happened. You didn’t act first so I’m willing to hear your side. Tell me why you’re here and I’ll hide you.”

“That’s a generous offer for a government scum like you,” the raccoon said, “I don’t believe ya’.”

Nick shrugged his shoulders, “Who else are you going to believe?” he pointed to the bag of garbage lying by the wall of the building. “That thing?”

The raccoon spat. The cat behind him spoke, “Deal! Now get us out of here!”

Rocket jutted to silence the cat up. “Shut up!”

“I’m injured and starving, don’t speak for me!” the cat hissed. “I’ve been bleeding for more than twelve hours now. Since I landed, I worked my injured ass up to find you until daylight only to be restrained in these vines!”

“It’s not my fault you’re an idiot for strategies!” the raccoon countered, “Who the hell hunts their enemies in that pathetic state?”

“Who the hell sleeps when their ship just crashed?”

“We were unconscious, moron!”

Nick interjected. “Let me get this straight… you guys are enemies?”

The raccoon answered first, “This loser is the reason why we’re here in the first place.”

“Oh yeah?” the blue cat joined in, “Whose ship was it that crashed into mine?”

“Who was the idiot that entered the asteroid belt?”

“Who was the bigger idiot that followed?”

The raccoon dropped the vine strap and began smacking the blue cat. The helpless feline could only hiss as the raccoon punched him helplessly.

“Yeah, keep punching me, asshole,” the cat said, “I like it very much! It goes to show that you’re just a pathetic loser that could only pick on helpless targets!”

“You didn’t say that to me when we breached your base,” the raccoon grabbed the collar of the cat’s suit and lifted him slightly up, “You didn’t say that to me when I was fucking you up to the point you had to scuttle like a helpless rat!”

Nick massaged his forehead. “I hope you didn’t really fuck him up. Alright, you’re enemies, I get it now but somehow you” Nick pointed to the raccoon, “were saving him back there and your other friend too—the tree creature.”

The raccoon dropped the cat. “That idiot…” he whispered. “Alright, foxy, I’m considering your generous deal,” he mocked, “But I want more than that. I want to save my friend.”

Nick approached the injured feline. He untangled him from the vines and helped him up but the moment the constraints loosened, the cat acted fast and snatched Nick’s gun from his holster. He aimed it at the raccoon.

“Easy there, tiger,” Nick grew cautious. “I’m helping you both out here. If you fire that gun, the others are going to hear it. Not only will you be taken away but I’m also going to get arrested.”

“Just one shot…” the cat’s voice was hoarse as though he said it through his clogged throat.

The raccoon looked at him annoyingly. “You little shithead.” The raccoon marched toward them and kicked the gun away from his grip. Before he could land his punches, Nick shielded the cat.

“Enough of that, he’s had enough. You could tell from the wounds,” Nick said as he cradled the cat’s face with his arms.

The raccoon looked at Nick solemnly. “It may not look like it right now but that idiot you’re holding is a destructive maniac. You’ve no idea of the lives he’d taken—of the deeds he’d done.”

But it couldn’t be...Nick couldn’t believe it. From the way he saw it, it was the other way around. The raccoon looked more of a villain than the cat but then again he cannot pass proper judgment of either.

“I’ll standby outside as I get one of my co-officers to get my vehicle. I’ll make sure nobody searches this alley. Do you think you could not kill each other until then?”

“Depends if this loser tries to kill me,” the raccoon said.

“Alright, I think I’m gonna need something to call you other than ‘idiot’ or ‘loser’ or ‘maniac’,” Nick folded his hands. “I’m Nick Wilde.”

“Rocket Raccoon,” the raccoon answered straightforwardly.

The cat wiped blood off his mouth. “Blue.”

“Rocket and Blue,” Nick repeated and associated the names with their owners. “Alright…”

***

Judy wore her ZPD attire as she entered the classy restaurant in Tundra Town. The moment she entered, a waiter had dispatched himself to her assistance.

“You must be Ms. Hopps,” the polar bear waiter addressed. “Your table with Mr. Savage is along this way. Please follow.”

Just seconds after entering the premises, Judy was already overwhelmed by the ambiance. Her first time entering the restaurant wasn’t like this at all. Her permit to enter only came from a warrant back then so it was to be expected that she’d receive no service.

The waiter guided Judy to Jack’s table and the duo met again.

“Jack,” Judy smiled.

Jack looked at her with a hint of curiosity and amusement. “Why are you wearing your ZPD uniform?” he asked.

Now that Jack mentioned it, Judy realized that Jack meant for it to be a formal dinner. The bunny agent did have a change of clothes albeit it wasn’t so much different from his attire earlier. Male fashion was much simpler compared to female’s. The usual pair of clothes for guys was always tops and pants for formal gatherings while for girls there’s a variety of whether they could wear a dress, a skirt or some pants.

Judy swallowed. “I thought we were just going to discuss…” she looked left and right and cupped the side of her mouth with one paw as she whispered, “Classified information.”

Jack playfully teased Judy by copying her gesture and whispering in return. “And we are going to discuss it over dinner,” he said.

Judy chortled. “I’m sorry…I’m not very good at these things.”

“Dinner?” Jack guessed.

“Dates.” Judy said casually and the moment she said it, she took it back. “I mean…not that this is a date, it’s just…sort of ugh…just similar to a date. Yes!” She didn’t quite know why the word suddenly slipped her mind. Perhaps it was because she had been thinking of the lie she told Nick about going on a date that it was brought up and unconsciously slipped her thoughts.

Jack chuckled. “You could call this a date,” he said. “We’re in a nice place. We’re talking and having dinner so yeah. Let’s call this a date.” He smiled widely.

Judy flustered.

The polar bear waiter returned to them, offering the menu. He poured them some wine as he waited for the duo to decide on what they will be having. The menu had a side for predators where servings mainly had fish, poultry and some exotic bugs and it also had a side for preys where it was mostly salads with names that just roll off the tongue.

There was a dish which Judy seemed to favor had she suddenly salivated over just looking at the preview of carrots in whatever cooking. Right after seeing the price though, she began having second thoughts and tried looking for another. For every dish she seemed to like, the price was ridiculously high and she tried searching for the lowest priced meal but found that what she was looking for was in another restaurant.

“Found anything you like?” Jack looked over the menu to Judy.

Judy felt sheepish. “I…I can’t…the prices are just too…cold…brr” Judy rubbed her shoulders.

Jack raised a brow. He called the waiter and whispered his final decision to him. Thereafter, the waiter took the menus and excused himself.

“What…did…you…”

Jack smirked. “Well since you couldn’t seem to make up your mind, I had the waiter arrange a full course meal from their best sellers in the prey section of the menu.”

“That costs way less than ordering individually…right?” Judy hoped albeit it was obvious.

Jack disregarded the prices with the wave of his hand and changed the topic.

“Now why we’re here…” he sounded solemn. It was though as if his gentle-rabbit façade suddenly shifted to authoritative. “Before I start, I want you to know that I’m telling you this because I _want_ you in my force.”

Judy felt privileged…so much that it frightened her but she swallowed the fear for now and focused on contributing what she can. “You can count on me, Jack.” Judy said.

“Good,” Jack nodded. “Now, let’s begin. First, are you familiar with the physical concept of parallel universes?” Jack asked.

Judy nodded. “Yes. It says that our own universe has its counterparts.” Judy only recalled what she read in textbooks during her high school.

“Think of it that way except the counterparts,” Jack said. “Instead of thinking our universe has a counterpart think that it has a neighbor. The void…or so MASA assumes and as I told you before is a gate we believe leading to another universe.”

Judy took her time in absorbing the information Jack gave her. Both of them were interrupted when her phone suddenly rang. Judy excused herself for a while and took her phone. It was Nick and seeing as they were on an important matter, Judy dismissed the call. Shortly after, however, Nick called again and again until Judy powered her phone off.

“I’m sorry about that,” Judy apologized and got back on the matter again. “Neighbor? If that’s true then that would disprove the theory that the universe is infinite and just keeps on expanding?”

Jack shrugged. “It proves it actually,” he said. “Do you know how there are infinite numbers between one and two?”

Judy nodded her head. “One point zero one, one point zero-zero one, one point zero-zero-zero one and so on.”

“Think of our universe as one and think of the other universe as two,” Jack said. “The present understanding of the void is currently that we don’t count one, one point one, one point two—no. Instead, we count one, two, three, and so on, skipping the infinite numbers and getting on to the next point.”

Judy realized, “We count universes.”

“Good analogy,” Jack complimented and then stopped talking for a while as the waiter served them their appetizers. The sweet aroma of vegetable soup wafted in the air and was warm inside their nostrils after breathing icy air since arriving at the restaurant. Jack took his spoon and sipped hot soup with a satisfied ‘Mmm’ thereafter. “This restaurant’s no joke. It lives up to its reputation,” he remarked with a chortle.

Judy sipped as well, feeling something inside her warm up as the flavor exploded on her tongue. “Wow…I know this is vegetable soup but I think Nick would like it,” Judy said.

“I’m just glad you like it,” Jack said. He watched Judy enjoy the soup and when the bunny looked back at him, he averted his gaze toward something else. Escaping the dilemma, Jack continued with their topic. “We still don’t know how the void opened up. Top scientists are hypothesizing that it’s a universal phenomenon and would eventually cease. Some started connecting it with how planets came to be where they are… said, if the void opened in a planet’s orbit, it could take the planet in another universe.”

Judy dropped her spoon after hearing Jack’s last statement. “What happens if our planet happens to cross?” Judy asked, almost standing up on the table.

Jack sighed. “I don’t know. It depends on what part of that universe the void leads to. It could lead to an orbit near the sun which could burn us, it could lead to an orbit too far from the sun which would freeze us, it could lead to no orbit at all or in a black hole—the possibilities just go on and on.”

Judy felt herself weaken. For the first time, her stomach actually stirred. She trained herself to face the worst situation but this galactic scale was nowhere near the worst she prepared herself for. This was basically apocalyptic.

“The void isn’t opening up in Earth’s orbit, is it?” Judy asked, hoping for the best.

From the look on Jack’s face, Judy understood. “The scientists hypothesized that the void would only grow bigger and bigger. Some claimed that the void needs to devour something with massive gravity for it to close. And the only thing with enough gravitational force that could close the void is Earth or something as big as Earth.”

Judy slumped back on her seat, taking in all the information. If by some tiny hope that this was all a joke, she’d accept that even if she has to pay the bill just for everything Jack told her to become a joke. But it wasn’t and she could only… _hope for the best and prepare for the worst._

“Jack…” Judy called, “Why did you choose me to be a part of your force? This is the highest level of global threat…why choose a bunny like me?”

“You’re looking down on yourself,” Jack said and reached in for Judy’s paw that idly rested on the table. “They said bunnies can’t be police officers much less government agents but look at us. I want you to look at yourself and realize that you are where you are because of your efforts.”

Judy looked at her paw underneath Jack’s. And her eyes moved toward Jack. “I appreciate it, _sir_ but this is something dead serious. You can’t possibly just choose anyone with a strong wit and determination. You need someone with true skills.”

“And I found one,” Jack said the moment Judy finished. “Anyone can have skills but not anyone can have strong wit and determination. That’s my criteria in choosing mammals in my force. I’ve learned that even someone madly skilled could crumble without strong wit and determination.”

“What makes you think my wit and determination are _that_ strong?”

“Because you still haven’t run away,” Jack said. “Knowing it’s the end of the world, where else could anybody run? The least they could do is to offer their skills to try and fight for this world yet they didn’t. They’re out there drinking till their stomachs drop and living like there’s no tomorrow. I don’t want to live like that even if I know today the world is ending. I’d rather spend that day trying to save the world.” Jack got up from his chair and leaned towards Judy. He looked her straight in the eyes. “I’ll know if your wit and determination are really strong depending on your answer. Will you join me?”

Judy was reluctant. What Jack said previously—about his former recruits that were wasting away after knowing about the impending apocalypse—somehow, she felt about doing the same. It was only as little as a thought but it passed her mind which meant that it wasn’t a distant possibility. She was afraid—now more than ever but she remembered what Nick told her: _Hope for the best, prepare for the worst._

“If you want me at my full potential, I’m going to need my partner,” Judy said.

Jack smirked. “Alright… Savage Team recruits two new members.”

***

Evading the police had always been Nick’s forte. Being an officer himself wasn’t something he expected. Hiding two aliens from them was something beyond just expectations. Not even the thought of it seemed plausible to him back then and even now when he’s cautiously using the maintenance tunnels at the rainforest district.

He knew exactly where to hide Rocket and Blue—Wild Times. Three districts would probably be swarmed with police officers and government agents once daylight strikes. Security in the parameters downtown would tighten all because of the two visitors not coming into the possession of the authorities.

Nick still wasn’t quite sure of his decision in why he’s helping Rocket and Blue. Seeing that other thing with them—Groot was his name as he’d heard—sacrifice himself for his friends immediately drew the line in Nick’s head of who was on the right side. Lawfully, the ZPD should have been Nick’s side at all times but he couldn’t stand the immediate hostility against _misunderstood_ beings. He somehow saw himself in the trio and if he wasn’t so bad—just deemed bad by the majority—then these two along with the captured one wasn’t so themselves.

“Just to be clear, Foxy, where are you taking us?” Rocket was beside the driver’s seat. “For the record, I still don’t trust you. Well, even if you capture us, I’d have you know I’ve escaped more than twenty-two prisons up there. Most of them are the tightest and highest tech you could ever imagine.”

Nick was deep inside his thoughts while at the same time keeping a good amount of focus on the slippery road. He only looked at Rocket through his reflection on the mirror. “Well, I could only imagine the prison you were contained at from sci-fi movies. Your tactics usually go for the system, am I right?” Nick chortled. “Prisons here don’t have those systems. If you were to be captured, you’d be behind old fashioned bars. Can’t hack bars now, can ya’?”

Rocket grunted.

At the back seat, Blue was laughing. He was cuffed both hands and feet as Rocket refused to give him the slightest opening. Nick refused however the raccoon snatched Nick’s cuff and cuffed the cat himself.

“What’s so funny, douchebag?” Rocket looked over the back seat.

“What’s funny is what Nick said.” Blue settled down, wiping his eye with his wrist. “I’m a master of escape myself but I admit that old fashioned bars are the only thing that can keep me contained.”

“Psh, I’d like to see you escape from the prison heart of Xandar.” Rocket got up from his seat and peeked directly from the rectangular window that separated the back seats from the front.

“Take me there and I’ll show you. Any of my crew could show you.”

Rocket chuckled. “Words from an arrogant shithead,” he said, “Your friends aren’t doing a very good job escaping then.”

Blue was taunted had he charged at Rocket but was blocked by the screen. The two made a fuss, distracting Nick as he drove.

“Settle down, you two,” Nick hissed. “The road is slippery and there are cliffs just about everywhere. I could roll up the soundproof glass to keep you two from talking.”

“Please do,” Rocket said.

“Please don’t,” Blue contradicted. “I’m already cuffed. Don’t isolate me. Besides, I enjoy this provoking this rodent.”

Rocket folded his hands in front of his chest and sat comfortably back at the seat. “I wasn’t the one that charged through a screen, dumbass. And you call me a rodent, what does that make you?”

“A pet,” Blue smirked. “Terrans keep my kin in their houses, fed thrice a day while your kind eats from trash!”

Nick groaned and rolled up the soundproof glass. Now, all that he did see were the motion of Blue’s mouth trying to provoke the raccoon but to no avail. Eventually, Blue returned to his seat.

Wild Times was just up ahead. It was two in the morning and quite dark on the road—all the more convenient for escaping two outcasts. Once they arrived at the shabby building, Nick assisted the two to enter. The raccoon refused to receive help and refused to have Nick touch Blue.

“From what I see, you’re not a very good fighter,” Rocket said. “I don’t want this asshole to hurt you…after all, you are helping us.”

The chains of Blue’s cuffs were held by Rocket and the raccoon moved him with harsh juts. “I won’t harm you, Nick,” Blue looked over his shoulder to share a sincere smile with Nick but Rocket pushed his head back to look at where he was going. “I am very grateful for your aid!”

“Shut up!” Rocket spat.

Nick sighed and rubbed the back of his neck. He still didn’t quite understand what was happening but he intended to know all about it. Terran…Xandar…those were terms that didn’t quite register inside his head but he did get the implication that there is a civilization above them. Earth’s current science states that there are no other intelligent lifeforms or even other habitable planets in their galaxy. That was what was known.

After encountering these two, Nick was still hoping that this was all just a dream—Rocket, Blue, that tree creature and Jack Savage—all just a dream. Everything felt none like a dream though. It was all real. He followed them inside the abandoned building.

The heavens offered light drizzles that eventually collected in some areas of the roof and dropped inside. The building was but an old shell—abandoned and wrecked but not to the point of danger. The pillars and foundation were intact as well as foreboding rooms that could help them from those eager to capture them.

It had been long since Nick had visited the place and nostalgia seeped to him like water against his fur. It weighed him down but he was immediately pulled back up when he remembered that he was with someone.

“Yo, Foxy, I don’t mean to complain where you’re hiding us but I have to complain. This place is filthy!” Rocket’s voice echoed from one of the rooms on the first floor.

Blue’s reply came in faintly as if he meant only for Rocket to hear. “You’re one to complain after receiving help. You’re an ingrate!”

“You’re a psycho!” Rocket replied.

And the following sounds were growls and hisses.

Nick caught up to them to make sure they haven’t murdered each other. And when he came to, the duo was sitting face to face.

Blue kept his head ducked, probably afraid of the raccoon’s hostility while Rocket seemed to challenge the cat in a staring contest.

Nick leaned against the frame of the doorway, few rubble dusts dropping on his shoulder. “I think it was made clear that you tell me your side after I come save you.”

The duo looked at Nick’s direction. Rocket was the first to get up and tugged Nick on the shoulder, inviting him to go to the other room without Blue.

“What about me?” the feline asked.

“Stay there like a good kitty,” Rocket said, “Once I share my side, you share yours. I don’t want you changing some parts of my story. You are a dick after all.”

“Not a bigger dick than you.” Blue retorted.

“Thanks, I know my dick is bigger.”

Blue hissed. “Asshole.”

Nick still hadn’t gotten used to the vulgar words. It wasn’t that he hadn’t cuss before but he tended to keep the foul language in life or death situations. Once they were in the other room, far from Blue, Rocket kept his end of the deal.

“Alright, whaddaya wanna know?” he asked.

Nick shrugged. Everything if possible but he knew that it wouldn’t happen in just one seating. So instead, he asked about Rocket’s relationship with Blue. “Why are you so mad at Blue?”

Rocket massaged his temples. “Seriously? Of all the things you could ask, you ask that?”

“I’m sorry,” Nick said sarcastically, “I’m not the one who has to bear pitying him all the time.”

Rocket groaned but he complied. “Blue is a criminal. I was a criminal too and still am to some laws I don’t want to follow. It depends on which planet you’re in. Xandar covers some parts of the galaxy but I have nothing against their galactic rules since it doesn’t get in my way.”

At just the beginning of Rocket’s explanation, Nick was already confused as hell. It was his unawareness of everything the raccoon said but he still got the gist of it. Blue is an outlaw.

“Blue…” Rocket whispered. “He and I are from the same planet. I first met him in Contraxia while I was brooding over the fact that I was the only one left of my species. I knew from the moment I saw him that he was the same as me—alone and miserable. Maybe that’s why he beat up that Contraxian thug.”

Nick interjected for a moment. “It’s sounding a little weird for me…do you like him?”

The raccoon’s expression turned sour. “The fricking hell?” Rocket looked at Nick absurdly. “Hell I don’t fricking like that douchebag. I just told you he tried to kill us.”

“Okay, okay,” Nick pushed his hands as gesture in front of him.

“Anyway, I’ll cut the story,” Rocket said. “I approached him and found out that he was the captain of some Halfworld group with evil intentions. My friends and I being the guardians of the galaxy—heck more than just that—rooted them out. We managed to apprehend his friends, our people, and corner Blue at the last base but the asshole was persistent and didn’t want to get captured. We chased each other and ended up here. Ya’ happy?”

“Sounds like it came from a book,” Nick remarked and shook his head, wanting to accept that it was all facts. “I still don’t understand where all the rage is coming from.”

“Are you stupid?” Rocket growled.

“He’s already been apprehended…after hearing your story, I don’t think you’re mad at him at all…you’re disappointed that after finding one of your own, he didn’t turn out to be the way you expected and you’re hurt.”

“Woah, woah, woah, stop it, Foxy,” Rocket grunted. “Who are you to claim things just like that? You don’t know anything about me. You don’t know anything about us!”

It was definitely sadness. Even the way Rocket talked to Nick. “And that’s why I’m asking. I want to know if you two are worth helping.”`

“We’re worth more than that if you know the proper places…” Rocket mumbled, implying the bounties on their head in some regions.

Blue at the other room sat quietly. It was futile actually—talking at the other room. Blue could hear everything Rocket said. It never seemed what he was doing was so wrong in another’s eyes however he couldn’t simply just let go of a lifelong plot. The book…he has to get it no matter what, no matter the cost.

Nick and Rocket came back to the room where Blue was. It was Blue’s turn to share his side with Nick. Lifting his head up, he wore his usual faked smile.

“That was fast!” Blue said, “I hope I wasn’t too evil in Rocket’s story.”

“Take this seriously,” Rocket said.

Blue sighed. After hearing the side of his enemy, he wanted to come out honestly but that would mean failure. It was alright to fail if it was solely him but he wasn’t alone on his mission. He had friends—loyal crew that he couldn’t drag to the abyss with him.

 _I’m desperate_ , Blue thought. “I’m evil, yadda, yadda.” he said. _I don’t mean to kill_. “I’ll do anything it takes to achieve my purpose.” _I’m grateful for all you have done so far._ “I’ll kill you if you get in my way.”

Nick grimaced. What Rocket told him was true. And it seems like he began to understand a little about Rocket’s hostility against Blue. If they let their guard down even for just a little, it could mean the end for them.

“Don’t be threatened by this asshole,” Rocket said, “He’s helpless. The only thing he’s worth is the bounty on him in Xandar.” Rocket knelt down to face Blue. “The corrupt assholes there’ll enjoy interrogating you.”

Blue clicked his tongue. “Mhm can’t wait.”


	4. Two Motives

Dinner went well with Jack Savage. At least over the meal, Judy was able to forget the classified information that the world was ending. With the current growth and location of the void, they have at least a month to come up with something that could close the spatial gate.

Outside the restaurant, as Judy was about to head home, Jack bade his last farewell.

“Judy,” the bunny agent rubbed the back of his neck. “I enjoyed this night…it _relaxed_ me after the stressing week.”

Judy chuckled. “Despite everything, this night was pretty enjoyable…the dishes were amazing. Thank you.”

They were about to part ways. Judy began contacting Nick to relay him the necessary intelligence and update him of his sudden recruitment. The fox’s phone rang but nobody was picking up. It was already late. The clock was running toward eleven. The matters were made worse when Jack caught up with Judy, telling her that something happened at the gate.

The two bunnies rushed to the ZPD to have themselves updated by the chief.

The buffalo just got out of the department when the two bunnies encountered him.

“Hopps…agent Savage?” Bogo called. “Just in time, follow me.”

They all boarded Bogo’s police vehicle before the buffalo started driving the direction to the rainforest district. Along the way, the chief handed them fresh information about the scenario that happened previously.

“Three creatures came from the void,” Bogo said.

Both Judy and Jack were surprised but Judy, even more so. It was to be expected since the footage clearly showed a spaceship. Of course it had a pilot. News was so shocking, still.

“Are the visitors hostile?” Jack asked.

Bogo shrugged. “According to Wolford’s report, the aliens engaged first so they had to open fire. We managed to capture one but the two escaped. They could be anywhere in the city.”

Judy broke silence. “Chief that could mean if anybody sees them, there would be major panic.”

“It could lead to anarchy,” Jack added.

“Not quite,” Bogo said calmly, “The one we managed to apprehend is the one that the public shouldn’t see. The other two is of the Procyon and Felidae species. We need to be wary around small cats and raccoons.”

“What is your plan of capturing the other two, chief?” Jack asked.

“For now, I’ll have all of my officers that witnessed the two aliens lead teams. Since none of us know what they look like, it’s wise to have the witnesses lead the group,” Bogo said.

It was a wise decision. Even Jack approved of it but obviously, the bunny agent wanted more involvement as he saw an opportunity that could stop the void.

“I would like to be in one of the teams to search for the two aliens,” Jack volunteered.

“I have Officer Wolford, MacHorn, Delgato, Trunkerbee and _Wilde_ as witnesses.” Bogo presented. “They’re all fine officers. Please feel free to choose any of them, agent Savage.”

Judy was surprised at the mention of Nick’s name. “Nick was there…” Judy mumbled to herself.

Jack went for the obvious option. Bogo also stated that Officer Wilde was the most familiar as the fox was able to chase the visitors throughout Sahara Square. If any among the officers remembered the faces clearly, it would be Officer Wilde.

Judy tried contacting Nick again but this time, the recipient was unreachable.

They arrived at Cliffside asylum where ZPD vehicles and choppers were scattered about. It was a protocol to secure every parameter that made escape nearly impossible. The buffalo and the bunnies all went inside to have a look at the apprehended alien.

Judy’s stomach turned. She did everything to calm herself because when she was too nervous, she vomited. She didn’t want to hurl out diamonds. Horrific, gory imagery pasted itself inside Judy’s mind. There were various alien monsters like parasites and xenomorphs which she expected. Somehow, she was looking forward to seeing something with a distorted figure or multiple eyes.

When they arrived at the containment room, they were checked before having entered. From the thick, glass prison cell, was the alien.

Judy braced herself. Her heart pounded as she took the first steps inside the viewing area. From her vantage—in a white room drowned with fluorescent lamps was a tree creature with a curious face.

Judy melted. “Awe, he looks so innocent.” Judy walked toward the glass divider.

“Careful, Hopps, it could be hostile,” Bogo warned.

The tree creature set his eyes on Judy and as it saw her awestruck face, it smiled in return and approached the bunny. They stand on either side with a glass in between them. Judy placed a paw on the glass and the creature placed his on the other end of the glass.

Jack and Bogo were cautious, hands readily reaching in for their guns.

“Hello there, big guy,” Judy said, “My name is Judy.”

The tree creature looked at her without the slightest hostility as everybody around her assumed. From the circular breathing holes of the glass, the tree creature grew a small vine that went past and caressed Judy on the cheek.

“I am Groot,” it said. And the vine that caressed Judy on the cheek grew a white flower. Slowly and cautiously, Judy plucked the flower. The vine retreated inside.

Jack was already beside Judy as he eyed Groot suspiciously. Groot smiled and waved at him which he returned with the squint of his eyes. He pulled Judy back thereafter.

“It is poisonous?” Jack asked.

“Poisonous?” Judy repeated. “Don’t be silly. It’s a flower.” The bunny seemed hexed by Groot’s little gift to her. It wasn’t a very outstanding flower. It was just plain but still oh so very beautiful. Judy placed it like an ornament in one of her belt holsters where she kept her fox repellant.

“Nighthowlers are flowers too,” Jack said which Judy waved off.

The bunny agent went to have a word with Bogo.

Judy only looked at Groot who sat down on his bunkbed. It didn’t seem right looking at him inside a prison cell.

He tried contacting Nick again and again, the fox was unreachable. She decided that she’ll try again in the morning. It was already two in the morning. Nick was probably just asleep.

***

Rocket was awakened by the splash of the sun coming in through one of the boarded windows of the hideout. He rolled over to the other side as he wanted to get more sleep and suddenly met turquoise pearls staring back at him.

Blue had long awakened before Rocket and was just idly staring ahead his direction.

“The hell are you staring at?” Rocket’s voice was still hoarse in the morning.

Blue didn’t move an inch. In fact, he wasn’t moving at all. Curious enough, Rocket found himself keeping his eyes on Blue’s. Unique color for eyes with two dark slits which marked his pupils. And he didn’t forget that those were the same eyes that stared at him with overflowing bloodlust.

He found himself pondering about Nick’s words…that it wasn’t rage but disappointment. Rocket pushed the thought away. Who was that fox anyway to tell him how he felt. They hardly know each other and he was pretty confident in telling Rocket how he felt.

Nick came inside the door with plastic bags in both hands.

“Wakey, wakey, aliens,” Nick’s voice was as loud as daylight was clear. “I don’t know what you guys eat so I bought standard pred meals, you okay with that?”

Rocket got up, “I don’t know what you’re talking about but seeing that I’m so hungry, I think I could eat a whole pig.”

Nick was taken aback. “You wouldn’t really eat a pig, would ya?” The fox placed the bags on a plank table just outside the doorway.

Rocket stretched his limbs. “Oh I would. Ever tasted bacon? Man, Terra’s got all sorts of good stuff.”

Nick’s eyes widened. “I happen to know some pigs and I can’t imagine myself eating them.”

“You should try it.”

Nick swallowed. “You don’t eat foxes too…do you?”

“That’s gross.”

Nick gave out a breath of relief. “Hey, Blue, you were complaining last night that you were hungry. Come join us.”

There was no reply.

Rocket hardly cared as he was too busy helping himself with some fried chicken and salmon. He couldn’t tell if it was his hunger making all the food taste delicious or if it was simply the way it was cooked.

Nick bent down and shook the unmoving feline. “Blue?” Nick froze as his paw came into contact with Blue’s body. He was stiff and not breathing. “Crap!” Nick cursed. Without wasting any more time, he rushed to his police vehicle and retrieved emergency defibrillators.

Rocket watched as the fox rushed out and back in again with some box-thingy he hadn’t quite seen before.

Nick bent down and figured how Blue’s spacesuit worked. There was a zipper at the top of it. Simple enough, Nick pulled it down and pushed back his face as he’s never quite seen a structure like Blue’s before.

“Rocket!” Nick yelled. There were metals inside Blue’s body. There were hinges that bulged out of some joints and metallic sheaths in place of some areas of his body. In place of his clavicle were two sheaths kept intact by screws.

The raccoon entered the scene with his takeout chicken still in hand. “Crap.” He cursed and placed the food down. He reached in for the defibrillator and figured how the thing worked but he was too impatient. He opened the defibrillator and tampered with its inner mechanisms.

Nick watched in awe and panic to whatever the hell the raccoon was doing.

“Do you have a fuse around here?” Rocket asked. “Connect this wire to it.”

“A fuse?” Nick reacted hysterically, “That could kill him!”

“He’s already dead, you idiot, stop whining and connect that thing to a fuse. Our mechanisms don’t work like yours I figured that out when you were chasing us.”

 Nick tried to remember where he kept the power source and to his luck it was in the same room as they were in. He pulled the small wire Rocket handed to him and opened the fuse box. He scratched his head thereafter.

“Where exactly am I supposed to connect this thing?”

Rocket groaned. He finished up connecting some wires he tinkered with to Blue’s metallic clavicle and went to Nick’s assistance. The raccoon scanned the fuse. “This is a really different fuse.” Tinkering with the box, Rocket opened up the wires and looked at it for a while before figuring out where the power ran. “Here we go.” After connecting the wires, he lifted the switch up and massive amounts of electricity were conducted to the feline.

The fuse box sparked and the what-once seemed to be the body of the defibrillator exploded out of the room.

Nick ducked his head to avoid the flying defibrillator but after everything, Blue was up again. His fur exploded outward, making him look like a blue ball of fuzz. Everything Rocket did was a surprise. That was some level of mechanical intervention. Nick wasn’t quite familiar with the saying, if you don’t know how it works; change its mechanisms to your understanding.

Wide-eyed and awed, Nick followed Rocket with his eyes and thought if Blue had the same level of technological understanding.

Rocket walked to the doorway and grabbed his plate of unfinished food. He still had about less than half a chicken left with a bite-sized fish fillet. He bent down to Blue and brushed the exploded fur down with his licked hand.

“Don’t die in your sleep next time, you idiot,” Rocket said and offered his plate to Blue.

At the site of food, Blue took it immediately, hungrily gobbling the food like a savage.

Afterwards, Rocket went back to the table and grabbed Blue’s share of takeout, starting once again with a whole chicken and fish fillet.

From what happened, Nick didn’t quite know whether he should tell Blue that Rocket cheated on his share of food or ask him about his journey to the afterlife. He was still shocked about everything that happened in that moment of time.

Judy called in from Nick’s radio, pulling the fox back to reality. “Nick. Your phone is unreachable. I have important matters I want to discuss with you.”

Without taking his eyes off the eating Blue, Nick spoke back to his radio. “I think I have important matters I want to discuss with you too.”

Nick walked to the doorway but was stopped by Blue who clutched his foot with his cuffed hands asking for more food.

“Rocket gave you his leftovers and took your share of food,” Nick said as he walked, dragging the blue cat with him. “But there’s more food in the plastic bag since I wasn’t quite sure what to buy you two.”

Blue suddenly let go of Nick’s foot, almost sending the fox out of balance.

“You stingy raccoon!” Blue cursed, “You call yourself a hero with that attitude?”

Rocket chuckled. “I ain’t calling myself a hero, where’dya heard that?”

“You’re a guardian!”

“But not a hero.”

Nick rolled his eyes. “I have something important I need to attend to,” Nick said as he walked out the door. He almost felt like as if he was babysitting kittens not aliens.

“Hold on there, Foxy,” Rocket called. “Aren’t we going to help my buddy, Groot?”

“That is the important matter I’m trying to attend to right now,” Nick stopped to look back at the cat and raccoon. Blue got up, forced to take small steps with his cuffed feet toward the bagged goods. “We can’t save your friend with just me. If we have my partner, we’d have more chances.”

Rocket took it coolly. “Okay then…” he turned back to the table and dragged Blue back to the kitchen area. “You’ve had your share, enough of that. Don’t forget, you’re still a prisoner.”

“I’m your prisoner not Nick’s and Nick brought all those food.”

“Well Nick ain’t gonna be here for a while which leaves me in charge. If you behave yourself, I might give you some food.”

“Insolence!”

Nick went out listening to the faint argument of the two visitors.

***

Nick met up with Judy in the bunny’s station at the ZPD. She was busy on some paperwork when Nick arrived but she dropped it all after seeing Nick.

“Nick!” Judy hopped out of her office to embrace Nick.

“Woah,” Nick chortled. “You missed me that much?” he teased and then got back to the matter they should be discussing. “I have something very important I want to tell you.”

Judy pulled Nick inside her quarter and had him sit on the chair before her desk. “I think it could wait,” Judy said. With the apocalypse in her mind, she couldn’t think of anything that could compete in matters of significance and priority. “I have something _really_ important to update you.”

Nick held back but insisted that he went first. “Carrots, believe me when I say—”

“The world is in danger,” Judy went to the very center of the matter she wanted to discuss. If something could catch Nick’s attention—heck, anyone’s attention, it would be something like that.

Nick relaxed on his chair as he curiously eyed the bunny.

“The void—it’s a gateway—ugh, a quantum gate that’ll keep expanding for an indefinite time,” Judy began.

Nick was piqued. That was some information he didn’t even hear from Rocket or Blue.

Judy continued, “The current hypothetical solution in closing the void is for it to swallow something with ginormous gravity. Nick, if we fail to find a solution, our whole world would end.”

Nick temporarily forgot about his own matter which he wanted to involve Judy in. After hearing their current situation, it was though as if something punched a breath out of him. He felt mildly nauseous but fine nonetheless.

“Where…did you get that information?” Nick asked.

“Agent Savage. Firsthand from MASA,” Judy replied, “Jack recruited me and you to be part of his force that would try and find a solution in closing the void—”

“Hold on there, Carrots,” Nick interjected, “Jack Savage? The government agent bunny? What is he gonna do? What are we gonna do? We enforce laws, Judy, did you forget that? And that Savage rabbit—he’s a spy. We’re not fit to be dealing with this stuff.”

Judy bit her lower lip and from the scattered papers on her desk, she dug through them and handed Nick an image of the tree creature—Groot.

“Jack’s team is fit for this kind of operation,” Judy said, “Groot or A-S zero, zero one came from the void as well as two other alien subjects. Team Savage’s role here is to capture the other two aliens.”

Nick swallowed and looked at the picture. Judy was part of Jack’s team…which meant that she was after Rocket and Blue as well.

“What…” Nick paused and revised what he was going to ask. “How will capturing those two alien subjects possibly seal the void?”

Judy shrugged. “Jack believes that since those two came from the void, they’d know something. Nick, for now this is the only shot we have in trying to save the world. There are no other options we could possibly go for. I’ve been trying to contact you last night but your phone was unreachable. I wanted to inform you that you’re part of Savage team and a witness to what the subjects looked like. We need you.”

“Carrots…” Nick tried to calm himself. “What does Jack plan to do after they’ve captured the subjects?”

“That’s up to Jack then,” Judy said.

“What if those aliens are just as clueless about the void as you and me? What will happen to them in prison then?”

Judy sighed. “Nick, we currently retrieved one of those alien’s spaceship. Not even the best engineers and rocket scientists understand the basic mechanism of their technology. I’m sure even if just a little, they’d know something.”

Nick pushed back his face with both hands and looked at Judy. “How long until the void swallows the Earth?”

“Less than a month until it encompasses most of the sky, blocking the sun,” Judy answered. “Dark days are ahead of us which is why we must be vigilant and quick. Now that I’ve informed you, what important matter did you want to discuss?”

Nick opened his mouth to begin with his part but closed it as some words Judy said reverberated inside his mind: _It’s up to Jack_. He didn’t quite trust Jack Savage out of spite and envy but something else more than that. The bunny had a bad aura with him.

“Groot…what are they doing to him?” Nick asked.

“Just some minor interrogations,” Judy said. “Don’t worry. Jack told me he doesn’t resort to violence.”

That was it. That was all Nick needed to hear for him to change his mind. He trusts Judy—more than anyone else but he feared that if he told Judy now, she wouldn’t understand. In a way, Judy was brainwashed by her veneration for Jack Savage. With the information that the void is going to swallow Earth raises desperation which would only cloud Judy’s decisions.

Nick got up from the chair and looked at Judy with much thought sincerity. “Carrots…I know you might think I’m crazy with what I’m about to do…”

Judy shifted positions from her chair and leaned over to Nick’s direction. “Nick?” she said almost in a whisper. It came as a thought that Nick might be planning to do something she wouldn’t like.

“I believe you…and I also believe that those two aliens might have a way in closing the void but rooting them out like vermin isn’t right,” Nick said as he took off his badge. “Jack is going to do something terrible to them if they don’t hold the key…Judy, I want you to know that I trust you more than anyone—more than myself which is why I’m sorry…” Nick placed the badge on Judy’s desk.

In Judy’s moment of awe, Nick sprinted out of the ZPD, running as fast as he could. Judy was left to watch as Nick sped away, becoming smaller and smaller in her field of vision. After a while, she snapped from her trance and chased after Nick.

“Nick!” Judy yelled as she ran as fast as she could out of the ZPD but the moment she got out of the doors, Nick was already riding off in their police vehicle. She could only watch as Nick turned the corner and disappear.


	5. Rogue Officers

“Clawhauser!” Judy rushed inside the ZPD. The donut-loving cheetah sat relaxed on his swivel chair behind the counter as he watched Judy approach her hysterically. “Nick! Our vehicle! GPS! Track him!” Judy panted.

Clawhauser moved fast and went over his computer. He went inside the system of the police vehicles and clicked on the GPS. After the map and location was displayed, it was shown that Nick hadn’t left the premises of the ZPD.

“Dammit!” Judy slammed her fist on the counter as Nick’s words echoed inside her mind.

_I trust you more than anyone._

Then why, Judy thought.

_More than myself._

Then why leave without me? Judy asked herself again and again.

Nick was clever. Of course he would have sealed every loophole and clue that could possibly lead to where he was. Judy couldn’t rely on physical traces…she could only rely on…what she knew about Nick! Think, Judy. Where would Nick probably go if he were hiding something from the police?

Judy gasped in realization as the thought came into her. There was this one story Nick told Judy that he used to do before he went into the pawpsicle scheme: Wild Times. It was just past the rainforest district, north of the docks!

Judy rushed toward the door but stopped midway as she realized something. She was wearing the badge of an officer. The decision was laid out to her—Nick or Jack. She obviously went for Nick. Judy trusts Nick as much as Nick trusts her. For the decision she’s made, she didn’t have the right to wear the badge.

Taking it off, Judy walked back to the counter and gave her badge to Clawhauser.

The curious cheetah only looked at the item Judy placed on the counter. Judy rushed outside once more and called a taxi cab to drive her to the nearest station.

***

Nick spared no time in relaxing after he arrived at Wild Times. Slamming the door open, he called on to Rocket and Blue. “Out. Now!” Nick shouted. “We’re gonna have to move.”

Rocket was relaxed on the plank table guarding the food while Blue was prowling somewhere nearby attempting to steal the food when Nick arrived.

“Why so sudden?” Rocket stretched. “And what about your partner?”

Nick sighed. He didn’t want to recall how brainwashed Judy was. “She won’t help us…” Nick said. “We’re gonna have to help ourselves but first let me ask you a question: do you know what the void is?”

“The void?” Rocket raised a brow and then realized what Nick was talking about. “Oh the space-rip. Yeah. What about it?”

“Do you know how to close it?” Nick asked.

Rocket jumped out of the table. “Yeah.”

“How?” For every unsatisfied answer Rocket gave, Nick kept on asking more. It annoyed Blue which is why he interjected in the middle of the conversation.

“That space-rip or quantum gate will keep on expanding until it could no longer expand,” Blue said. “It usually takes about one Terran revolution or simply one year before it vanishes and opens up elsewhere. There are various ways to close it: say clicking through it, feeding it something with massive gravity or having many objects cross it simultaneously.”

Nick still didn’t understand. “Can you close it?”

“I just enumerated the options of course we can.” Blue had been making his way little by little to the table of bagged food, hoping that Rocket hadn’t noticed him but the moment he was about to swipe at a nugget, Rocket caught his hand.

Nick groaned as he walked over to the bagged foods. He took the nuggets and handed it to Blue. The feline accepted it warmly and started munching as though he hadn’t eaten at all.

Rocket snorted. “Kill-joy,” he whispered to himself. “Before that, we’re gonna need Groot. We’re not gonna close that rip while we’re here. We don’t wanna get stuck in this lousy planet.”

“Good. Great…” Nick tapped his fingers. “We have to move—”

“Nick?” Judy’s voice echoed from the door.

Nick looked back. “…now…”

Rocket peeked over to the soaked bunny standing by the entrance. Blue was too busy eating to actually give them any attention.

“Carrots… how did you…”

“Nick, I thought you said you trusted me,” Judy walked inside, marking wet paw prints on the dusty floorboards. “Why didn’t you hear me out then?”

“Judy…” Nick heaved in a breath. “I wanted to tell you…but when I saw how enthusiastic you were about Savage’s plans, I thought you wouldn’t hear me out.”

Judy kept on approaching until she was directly in front of Nick. Thumping her forehead on Nick’s chest, she sniffled. “I’d always hear you out, you dumb fox. Why didn’t you just tell me that you didn’t want to do it Jack’s way?”

Nick welcomed Judy inside her arms, embracing her. “I’m so sorry…”

“I hate to break you love-roaches but aren’t we forgetting something here, hmm?” Rocket interjected. “Groot!”

Blue broke silence. “You’re just jealous your girlfriend isn’t here.”

“What did you say, asshole? At least I have a girlfriend!” Rocket retorted harshly.

“What’s a girlfriend that isn’t there?” Blue meowed. “Basically nothing.”

Rocket curled his hands to a knuckle when he realized something. His annoyance suddenly vanished as he looked at Blue. “How did you know I had a girlfriend?”

Blue was licking the nuggets off the tip of his claws when Rocket threw the question. It suddenly hit him. His tail bushed and straightened. He fought the uneasiness, hoping Rocket would just forget about it but it wasn’t quite possible.

Rocket walked over to Blue and lifted him by the collar of his spacesuit. “You’ve met Lylla?”

Blue swallowed as his eyes evaded the raccoon’s.

“You piece of—” Rocket lifted Blue against the wall, rattling the frail woodwork of the divider.

Nick and Judy’s attention suddenly focused on the raccoon.

“Nick, should we do something?” Judy tried intervening but Nick blocked her with his hand.

“What did you do to her?!” Rocket yelled and pushed his knuckles against Blue’s neck, choking him.

Blue gasped for air, wriggling to try and escape Rocket’s suffocating clutch. “N-nothing…alive…s-she’s…alive.” Blue choked.

Enough was enough. Judy had to intervene. She went over the raging raccoon and placed her paw on Rocket’s shoulder. “Sir, please let him go.”

Rocket looked over his shoulder and shook Judy’s touch away before letting go of Blue. Judy assisted Blue in getting up.

“In the Keystone quadrant…” Blue said as he gasped for breath. “She may not be in Halfworld anymore but she’s still in the Keystone quadrant…” Blue said as Judy circled her paw on Blue’s back.

Rocket was quiet. He turned his back on Blue, afraid to show him any hint of sadness the villain could use against him. He didn’t even know if he should believe anything coming from Blue. Just recently, the psychotic cat was about to prevail on his plan. Should Rocket and his friends failed to stop the Halfworld pirates it would have meant the end for a civilization.

“How…how was she?” Rocket said almost too sad.

Blue became quiet.

After getting no reply, Rocket asked again. “How was she?!” Rocket yelled.

“She’s married!” Blue levelled Rocket’s tone. “I was recruiting more Halfworld crew when I met her. We talked and eventually she mentioned you.”

“Lies!” Rocket looked over his shoulder to match his gaze with Blue’s. The feline didn’t waver or avert his gaze. “You’re lying!”

“I’m not…” Blue chuckled wryly. “And do you know why? Because she told me not to tell you her whereabouts if ever I come across you.” Blue smiled manically and gave out a forced laugh.

Rocket bent down and grabbed Blue’s collar. Judy was there however to defend the cat without fully knowing what was happening.

“Stay out of this,” Rocket eyed Judy which the tough bunny returned with a glower just as fierce.

“It gets more interesting,” Blue kept on laughing. “Back in Contraxia when you were drinking, it wasn’t you who saw me first. I saw you and created that fuss so I’d bait your attention. I knew you’d follow me and this is the best part. The kiss I gave you…it was Lylla’s farewell!”

Blue’s eyes remained glued with Rocket’s and because of that Rocket was convinced that Blue was telling the truth. He had no other basis that Blue lied except for the fact that Blue was a villain in chains. Blue was well aware that Rocket would beat the crap out of him if he taunted the raccoon yet he kept on anyway… all the more reason to believe the villain’s words.

Instead of reacting harshly, Rocket swallowed his bad feelings away and got up. “Let’s go save Groot.”

Judy helped Blue in getting up and they all turned to face the door but a particular bunny at the door blocked their exit.

Jack held a phone with a GPS map displayed. “If you want to go rogue, you ought to power your phone off, Officer Hopps.” Jack said.

From behind him, more government agents presented themselves with full armor and rifles.

Nick and Judy raised their hands in the air as a gesture of surrender however Rocket and Blue weren’t on the same terms as them.

“What an awful turn of events,” Rocket said sarcastically. “At least we’re gonna be taken in to Groot. All the more convenient for us.”

From the door, came in a white vixen in similar attire as Jack Savage.

“The neo-sequoia subject AS001 is being transferred out of Zootopia,” she reported.

“Thank you Sky.” Jack took out a pistol and aimed it. “Alright, apprehend officers Wilde and Hopps and contain the two alien subjects.”

The envoy units approached the foursome but Blue staggered, making the cautious animals halt and retreat a few steps back.

“Nick,” Blue whispered.

“Hands in the air and no talking!” Jack commanded.

“I’m confident you know this place,” Blue said. “Which is why I’ll create an opening for you.”

“Don’t be ridiculous,” Nick whispered back. “We’re completely surrounded.”

Blue chuckled warily as if he was so embarrassed. “I’m not going to do this solely because I want you all to escape. I’m going to do this to show you that I’m not as weak as Rocket made it seem as he beat me up. I’m still grateful to your efforts.”

“Lock target on the blue Felis catus,” Jack ordered.

“You’re cuffed, remember?” Nick reminded.

“This?” Blue raised his hands in the air and though as he didn’t exert any effort at all, the chain of the handcuff was broken. He jumped above and broke the cuffs on his feet as well. After making contact on the ground, Blue lunged to the biggest target—a rhinoceros in small space.

The military units weren’t able to open fire with Blue’s position and the panicking rhinoceros was easily brought to the floor.

“Though you won’t be able to witness it, you’ll realize why I’m called Captain above there.” Blue said with pride and targeted the soldiers by the door.

Jack and Sky somersaulted out of the blue cat’s pounce. Blue’s movements were none like they’ve ever seen and his strength was also extraordinary. It was due to the fact that Blue had cybernetic modifications and enhancements.

Nick, Judy and Rocket fled the scenario at the back of the building.

“Target the other subject!” Jack ordered.

Blue kept sharp watch at which soldier aimed his gun. When he spotted a wolf sniping at the fleeing trio, Blue pounced on him and knocked him unconscious. All units dispatched within the building were brought down until it was just Jack and Sky.

Blue stretched his neck. “Your luck just ran out when the hero wussed out,” Blue said. “You’re gonna wish it was the raccoon that sacrificed himself. He was the righteous one after all,” Blue licked his lips and crouched on the floor.

Jack aimed his gun and began shooting but for every swift projectile, the cat was able to predict and get out of harm’s way. Blue moved as though he wanted Jack to shoot and the bunny stopped when he came to realize that he had been unconsciously targeting the knocked out mammals on the floor.

Blood pooled from their bodies and Blue landed in a crimson puddle by the carcass of a wolf.

“This is a good change after drowning in my own blood for two days.” Blue pounced and charged at Jack with tainted claws.

Jack threw away his weapon and resorted in hand to hand combat. Blue swiped at Jack which the bunny blocked with his arm—big mistake. The cat’s strength was ridiculous. Jack felt his forearm break as though as it was nothing. When Blue’s swipe landed on Jack, he was sent flying against a wall.

Sky loaded her weapon but Blue heard the click of the gun and long went out of the way. Sky kept on shooting until there were no more bullets and she was left with no choice but to fight as well.

Blue had last landed in a dark area of the room. His luminescent turquoise eyes loomed in the darkness. Dark slits focused on Sky and the vixen felt the bloodlust manifest it physically. Blue was doing it on purpose—walking out of the darkness in menacing steps.

_You’re gonna wish it was the raccoon that sacrificed himself._

She came to realize what the blue cat had said.

Just inches away from her though, the cat fell down on his front. Behind him was an injured wolf aiming a gun and from Blue’s neck stuck out a dart.


	6. Rocket's Blues

Felis catus AS002 was contained in the armored vehicle and was taken away into Cliffside asylum for temporary captivity. The white vixen had double checked the restraints and muzzle to make sure escape was impossible even for the cat’s comical strength. She witnessed the cat’s combat firsthand—leagues beyond a pro’s. She thought Jack Savage was the best fighter but was easily taken down.

Jack’s arm was broken. Aside from that, he suffered a slight epidermal abrasion from coming into contact with the raspy texture of the wall, and dark bruises. It pained Sky more to see how Jack coped with the incident.

Approaching the bunny, she asked him how he was doing. “Are you all fine now?”

Jack looked at his broken arm for a second before putting his gaze on the ground, embarrassed to look at Sky. “All of this…” he referred to his injury, “From just one hit of that cat. To think I even brought down rhinos…”

Sky placed her paw gently on Jack’s back and the bunny grimaced in pain. More gently, Sky comforted him. “None of us could have known such strength.”

Jack snorted sourly. “We saw how he broke free from his cuffs like it was nothing, we saw how fast he moved and brought down multiple _trained_ mammals,” he exerted emphasis. “Somehow I already knew but deep inside, wanted to challenge him…this is what I get.”

“I think you could beat him…” Sky said but somehow both of them knew that that was just a statement of comfort—a sweet caress to the pride. “You just…didn’t know what you were dealing with is all. The next time, you’ll probably know how to deal with him.”

Jack looked at Sky and gave her a warm smile. “Sly vixen as always,” Jack said and invited that they leave. “We have more important matters to attend to than my petty pride.” He chuckled.

“What about Officer Hopps and Wilde?” Sky asked.

Jack dimmed after hearing Sky mention the names. “Rogues,” he said. “Inform Bogo of his officers’ insubordination and betrayal. That neo-sequoia was tough. Let’s see if we could get something out of this kitty-cat.”

***

Nick, Judy and Rocket fled the outskirts of Wild Times which took them to the rim of Zootopia. Beyond it was a forest that could do just fine in hiding them from pursuers. After Blue’s sacrifice though, none seemed to have trailed after them. They couldn’t let their guards down just yet. It was only a matter of time before the agents come searching for Rocket. They have to be well-prepared when that time comes.

“Now we’re all doomed,” Nick said. “I thought I already anticipated the worst scenario…”

“Nick, I’m really sorry,” Judy apologized. “It was because of me that Jack was able to know our location.”

Rocket was ahead of them, jumping over rocks and arching tree roots when he halted. “First Groot now that blue idiot,” he said. “Cottontail over there is right. It’s her fault but I wouldn’t say we’re all doomed.”

Nick and Judy looked at Rocket. “You’ve got a plan?” asked the bunny.

“I always have a plan,” Rocket smirked. “But I’m gonna need your knowledge on the geography to try and find a ship.”

Judy swallowed. “The ship the government hauled and taken in wouldn’t happen to be your ship now, would it?”

At Judy’s mention, Rocket frowned. “Shit,” he cursed. “Did they take both ships?”

“Only one…” Judy stroked her chin and gasped. “We need to beat them at the other ship!”

“Great,” Rocket remarked sarcastically. “A race for opportunities.”

***

Blue woke up wearing a ten-strapped jacket with a tight muzzle around his mouth. He was inside a dark room with a single spot light. And probably two other animals from the scents he picked up.

“AS002 is conscious,” said a feminine voice.

Thereafter, Blue was immediately questioned. “What do you know about the void?” asked a masculine voice.

Blue squinted. He tried peering in the darkness hoping to see but the light was too blinding. “Everything there is to know about space phenomenon whatsoever,” he said. “What’s up with these restraints?”

“Are the neo-sequoia subject and Procyon lotor your accomplices when you opened the void?”

Blue furrowed his brows. “The hell?” he muttered, “What makes you think I opened up your ‘the void’. I’d have to have the infinity gauntlet for me to do that…or the space stone at least.” And Blue stopped sputtering nonsense after he realized the situation he was in. He was in a world uninvolved from his original universe.

“Okay, okay,” Blue chuckled. “I see. You’re thinking that we’re responsible for the quantum gate,” he said. “Well, we’re not so kindly take off this very uncomfortable jacket and we could all be on good terms.”

The single spotlight shut off and the whole room was lighted. Blue narrowed his eyes to adjust with the sudden illumination. Inside the room with him were the vixen and the striped rabbit that now had a cast on his arm.

The vixen and the rabbit were talking at the corner of the room.

“At least this one actually says something other than ‘I am Groot’,” said the vixen.

They both approached the restrained feline.

“Are you aware of your situation?” asked the bunny.

Blue looked at the bunny, then the vixen and himself. He shrugged. “It’s hard to tell…”

“You are responsible for the critical injury of three mammals and death of two others.” The bunny gritted his teeth, “Aside from that, the authorities put the blame of the void on you and your accomplices. Crimes that happen each day stack up on your names which puts all of you on death row,” he said.

Blue yawned as loud as he could just to taunt the bunny. “I remember well, our little encounter. Was it me who killed those two mammals?” he smirked, “I was unarmed, just running around while you and your _foxette_ over there were shooting like hooligans.”

The bunny was provoked as Blue intended which is why the vixen spoke next. “That may be, what’s written up there on those papers put all the casualties on you,” she said. “There is a way for you to escape death row. Close the void—”

“Sure,” Blue interjected. “I’ll close the space-rip for you all. I’m just gonna need my ship and a few other things.”

“Hold on,” said the bunny, “How do we know you won’t just run away once we hand you your ship?”

Blue shrugged. “I don’t know. I just feel like closing it for you. On one condition though…”

“I believe you’re in no position to be making conditions,” the vixen said.

Blue laughed. “Oh yeah? What if I refuse to close the rip? What’ll you do, torture me till I give up? Whatever methods you have in mind, I’ve been through worse. What, you’ll kill me? Who will close the rip then? I believe I am in the position to be making conditions.”

The bunny and the vixen were reluctant. They tried to keep their cool but it was obvious that the blue cat had them on the tip of his claws despite their physical situation. In the end, they had no choice but to hear the condition.

“Okay…” Blue said. “I’m well aware of your plan to double cross me after I close the quantum gate. Don’t be surprised,” Blue laughed, “I’m not surprised myself that cave people like you would want to exploit my technology. I have that covered though. I’m closing the rip on the other side which means I’ll be leaving two gifts for you: the tree and the raccoon. Do with them as you please—open them, torture them—I don’t care. That’s my condition.”

“Those two…” the vixen said, “Aren’t they your—”

“Friends?” Blue snorted as he said the word. “When you came to us, didn’t you notice I was cuffed? That alone should have at least made you think I was their prisoner!” the blue cat shouted.

“Why did you sacrifice yourself so they’d get away then?” the vixen asked.

“So I could come to these terms with you,” Blue answered confidently.

The bunny joined in, “You mean to say, you anticipated this scenario?”

“Yes with me wearing something much more comfortable than this stupid jacket,” Blue complained. “With two less guardians, I could repeat my plan and I could finally get ahold of that book…”

***

From the trio’s location, it took them till nightfall to finally arrive at Rocket’s crash site. The ship was no longer there when they came to. The raccoon muttered a curse as he dropped on the ground, taking a rest. Nick and Judy were tired themselves, copying the same gesture.

“Nick and I weren’t really part of the cleanup group so I didn’t know whose ship was taken in,” Judy said as she massaged her legs.

Nick followed up. “How about the other ship?” he asked. “Do you know where it crashed?”

Rocket got up, sparing no more time to rest other than those few split seconds. He looked at the night sky where the void was clearly seen. From the void’s position and crevice his spaceship had excavated, he estimated where Blue’s ship might have crashed.

“There,” Rocket pointed. “It’s just an assumption but it’s the only thing we got.”

The trio moved again, trudging the forest at night. The deeper they went, the more they could see traces of where the ship might have crash-landed. The tips of some pine trees were grazed and in the far distance, some were leaning. Quickly enough, they moved until it was there—the sight of a destroyed ship awaiting them.

They stand at high ground with Blue’s ship just a slide below. Without reluctance, Rocket went down and the two officers followed him.

“I’ve seen you tamper with technology,” Nick said as he followed Rocket from behind. “Just how good are you with that stuff?”

Rocket kept on walking and didn’t even look back as he spoke. “My whole existence is about knowing what I know. I was engineered to make these stuffs.” He gestured to the entire ship.

“Engineered?” Judy’s curiosity was piqued.

That seemed to have made Rocket turn to look back. “Oh…unlike you guys, I wasn’t born intelligent…no animal is born intelligent from where I come from. Really, we’re all just dumbasses concerned with hunting and stuff…survival of the fittest or so.”

“You mean like reptiles and birds?” Judy asked.

Rocket felt slow at the mention. He was just used to generalizing animals. “Yeah whatever the dumbest animal you got here. It was just by mere coincidence that we were given sentience.”

They went inside Blue’s ship through the door-less entrance. It was dark inside but with just a slam of the fist to a wall, the lights flickered on. Despite the destroyed state of the ship, it still earned the awe of the humble fox and bunny. It was alien technology after all, destroyed or not.

They station below deck where the blue feline kept his crates of weapon parts and personal stuff. Rocket pulled out the chests and lifted them up the table, helping his self with the resources.

“If you don’t mind me asking…how were you given sentience?” Judy said, stopping beside Rocket to watch him begin building. Nick was somewhere in the ship, busy discovering.

Rocket sighed. He was obviously annoyed because it was a matter he’d rather not recall but the bunny wasn’t leaving him alone anytime soon so he just went along with her. “We were originally pets to keep the unstable states of the loonies below the gauge but a universal phenomenon gave sentience to robot caretakers which then gave sentience to us because they were too lazy watching over the loonies, yadda, yadda…” Rocket looked at Judy and hoped that the bunny was satisfied had she asked no more after that. It was only a matter of time though when she asked another.

“If that’s the case then wouldn’t that make your numbers limited?” she asked.

The question hit Rocket hard. It felt like a punch inside his chest and he was reminded of the suffering he endured for so many years. “Yes…” Rocket answered. “I spent many years thinking I was all that’s left of my race.”

Judy came closer beside Rocket. “But…Blue is there.”

Rocket slammed his hands on the table, rocking the materials placed on it. “That jerk is a maniac,” Rocket said through gritted teeth. “The last I’ve known to be my kind turned out to be evil as well…why is it that every fricking animal from Halfworld turns out to be evil?” he sighed and pushed his face back with both hands. “I guess with that given, I really am alone.”

Judy placed her paw on Rocket’s forearm which the raccoon slowly shook away. He wasn’t used to anyone touching him for comfort or for less but it felt nice. He just denied it as he does many things.

“Back at Wild Times…” Judy said, “You were fighting about someone named Lylla…is she evil too?”

“If what Blue said is true…she might as well be,” Rocket said sourly. “What she did is probably the most evil thing…leaving me without a word and starting over again with someone else…” the raccoon clearly wanted to cry but instead of displaying sadness, he manifested it with anger. “And to make it worse, she didn’t even want me to know.”

Judy understood the situation well and though the raccoon had clearly been pushing her physical comfort away, she placed her hand on Rocket’s back. Rocket didn’t shake her off.

“Tell me,” Rocket looked at Judy with eyes of twinkling plea. “What do you think went through her mind when she decided to start over and not even tell me?” he gasped in trying to contain the overwhelming feelings. “Did she just hope I would die or get killed not knowing?”

Judy placed her gaze down on the table, answering Rocket with an unsure shrug.

Through the background, Nick’s voice echoed faintly. “If Blue is, how you claim him to be, really evil then why believe what he said?” Nick was now in the same quarters as the bunny and the raccoon, arms folded in front of his chest.

“Because why would he lie about something like that?” Rocket returned. He kept himself busy albeit he was very distracted by the matter they were discussing. His form of tinkering with whatever he had his hands on seemed like mannerisms than actual work.

“Because villains are liars,” Nick said nonchalantly. “They’re liars for a reason—to try and get to the hero’s head. They’ll do anything to expose your vulnerabilities,” he walked toward the table beside Judy. “I learned that from reading comics.”

“Do you think he came from a comic book, Nick?” Judy massaged her forehead. “Though what you said seems to be plausible, I hardly see it happening in reality.”

“No, he’s right,” Rocket agreed. “It’s a typical, psychological scheme.”

“So you trust that what he said was a lie then?” Judy asked.

The raccoon shrugged. “No…” he answered shortly. “It’s sorta…” Rocket rubbed the back of his neck. “I was already vulnerable to Blue. In a way, he’s also my weakness because of the fact that I’m in search for my people—the Halfworld animals. At the shack, he didn’t lie about Lylla to get to me…he told the truth to destroy me. I saw it in his eyes and with the way he said it…full of hatred.”

“And here I thought you were the one who hated him,” Nick said. He picked up a random piece on the table and examined it. “When you told me your story, I thought—and still think—that you don’t really hate him.”

“Oh geez,” Rocket rolled his eyes. “For the love of—who the hell are you even to tell me how I feel? How can you even tell I don’t really hate him when you don’t even know how I feel!”

Nick placed the random part back at the table. “Then how do you feel?” Nick challenged Rocket to a staring contest.

Judy was in between them, placing her hands on the fox and the raccoon’s chest to keep them a certain distance apart from colliding.

Rocket growled internally, his lips pulling up in contempt to reveal white canines.

“How do you _really_ feel?” Nick repeated and when Rocket didn’t answer him, he asked again…and again. He overwhelmed the raccoon until Rocket gave in.

“I’m angry!” Rocket yelled. His voice echoed in the halls of the destroyed ship—through the vents, small pipes and exhausts even a distance outward the forest. “Never in my existence have I ever lost my cool to a villain in constraints,” Rocket said, “Never in my existence have I ever wanted to beat up a helpless bad guy! But I see Blue and I just want to fricking murder him!”

Nick and Judy were silenced for a moment at the level of emotion Rocket displayed. It projected itself to the point they were able to feel it physically as though it was tangible. And it was terrifying.

“Why?” One word from Nick and Rocket was taken aback. “Why is it when it now comes to him, you feel so unlike yourself?”

Rocket swallowed. Before Nick questioned him—heck way before that, when they were hunting the Halfworld pirates—he convinced himself that Blue’s end was similar to Blackjack O’hare’s. It wasn’t quite similar now that Nick was tediously analyzing his hatred for the blue cat. Perhaps… no, he didn’t want to consider Nick’s statement. He couldn’t.

“If you know someone that attempted to murder your _girlfriend_ here and almost succeeded,” Rocket referred to Judy. “Wouldn’t you feel what I feel? My situation is different from yours of course. Blue didn’t try to murder Lylla but I feel that it’s the only way for you to understand what I’m saying.” Rocket wasn’t angry anymore. He was confused. It’s that tiny thought inside his head which he didn’t want to nurture into becoming a goal.

Deep inside, he still longed for his people—for his race of Halfworld sentient animals. That’s a large component that built up most of him. And that tiny thought of wanting to try and reorient Blue and his friends into becoming good was what he tried avoiding making his goal. It only takes time and silence for thoughts to be reinforced and converted into a goal. And now, even though he’s distracted, he’s slowly considering its minimal possibility.

He was never one to be good in the first place anyway. He was just like O’hare or Judson Jakes even but what distinguished him from those two maniacs was his sense of justice that happened to be aligned to what the majority labeled as good. If he could just reach out to Blue and pull him to his divide…


	7. The Safe-House

The night was young and the dangers, imminent. Rocket conversed no longer with Nick and Judy, saying, he had to finish creating essential weapons for prison break. The least the fox and the bunny could do was keep watch if any danger was lurking about the trees. The moon was full and was enshrouded by opaque clouds that happened to pass. The void was somewhere nearby, taunting both Nick and Judy of the world’s ill future.

Nick and Judy were by the door-less entrance of the destroyed ship. The fox was leaning his shoulder on the metal frame and the bunny stood erectly with her paws embracing her arms as though she was cold.

Judy spoke first. “What do you think is on the other side?” she asked. Both of them knew that they were looking at the void. Even with the aesthetic display of the moon—bright and full—it just couldn’t compare to what was new. If both of them weren’t aware of the void’s intention to teleport the whole Earth, they would actually admire the celestial phenomenon.

Nick exhaled, his breath—an icy mist. “I like to imagine a sun,” he chuckled, “Not so close to us but not so far away either and some other planets with other intelligent mammals.”

“If that turns out to be the case, what do you think will happen?”

Nick shrugged. He pocketed his hands and turned his body towards Judy but his eyes remained fixated on the space rip. “Two things: the best or the worst.”

Judy furrowed her brows, asking Nick to elaborate which the fox did so voluntarily.

“Rocket, Blue and Groot came from _that_ other side and as we know it, an evil far beyond thefts or anything the ZPD handles exists.” Nick sighed and tore his gaze away from the void to look at Judy. And then he gestured to their surroundings—to the destroyed ship. “Right now, we’re standing inside the ship of a mammal that almost wiped out a civilization,” Nick said, “And Blue is just one of the many evils beyond the void. God help us seal that gate already.”

Nick was afraid. Judy could tell with the way the fox acted. Nick wasn’t one to display his emotions. He was a con and he was a master of façades yet here he is, desperate and terrified. Judy felt the same thing. She was no different but seeing Nick lose his cool made her even more afraid. She clung to Nick’s nonchalance. It was her basis of situations. So long as Nick was calm, everything would always turn out okay.

“But…Rocket and Groot are there as well…” Judy said in almost like a whisper. She coughed to clear her throat and continued, “And there could be more of them as well—more protectors of innocents.”

“Could be…but my point is, we wouldn’t be able to protect ourselves with what we have,” Nick said. “Heroes like Rocket won’t always be there. We need to be able to protect ourselves first and I don’t think we would be able to do that if even just a handful of mammals could wipe out a civilization with just one planning.”

“You’re referring to Blue…aren’t you?”

Nick swallowed. He looked away. “I am…” He heaved in a breath and then let it out in a cold mist. “Blue is a potential threat. The first time Rocket told me that Blue was evil, I thought he meant that Blue was just a criminal but…I was wrong. Blue _is_ evil. I don’t even know the full details of what happened but just knowing that he almost succeeded in a mass genocide…” Nick paused to rub his shoulders. “That innocent-looking cat…the one I thought was funny because of his blue fur…the one I pitied so much…he’s capable of wiping out Zootopia if he felt bored. Thousands of mammals, each with their lives, their names, their—”

“Nick!” Judy interjected. She approached the hysterical fox and embraced him from behind. Nick’s breathing gradually became regular once again at the feeling of Judy’s warmth. “I’m afraid too…” Judy said, “We have all the reasons to be afraid but falling into despair before it even happens is what we should avoid.”

Slowly, Nick’s arms wrapped Judy and he pulled the bunny in front of him. They shared each other’s warmth and they shared each other’s ease of mind.

Judy dug her face on Nick’s chest and through her muffled voice she quoted, “Let’s just hope for the best and prepare for the worst.”

Reminded, the fox smiled and nodded his head. “Hope for the best…” he said. And to prepare for the worst? The idea was but a sapling that sprouted inside his mind but for the bunny inside his arms, for the mammals of Zootopia and the whole Earth, Nick could consider its possibility.

To ensure everyone’s safety…Nick has to get rid of Blue.

***

The fox volunteered for first watch saying he was fit for the job because of his keen eyesight in darkness. An ulterior intention of it was to have Judy rest as she looked extremely exhausted past midnight. Nick felt sleepy as well. His station was by the doorway of the ship. He leaned against the metal frame, arms folded and eyes fighting to stay open.

Every once in a while he would fall seconds into sleep and wake up just moments before he lost balance. He wasn’t doing a good job in keeping watch anymore…not when Judy woke up and approached Nick saying that she sensed danger.

“Go back to sleep, Carrots,” Nick yawned and stretched his hands. “If there’s danger, I would have seen it lurking about the trees.”

“Shush…” Judy whispered. Her ears were alertly up, twitching and turning sideways to sideways as though to capture the quietest sound. “I wasn’t really able to sleep because of the cold,” she said, “and I started picking up noises.”

Nick rubbed his eyes and looked at the bunny with doubt. He tried capturing the sounds the bunny detected but his hearing wasn’t as keen as Judy’s. All he could hear were the faint clanging of hammers and welding hisses from Rocket below deck. Seconds into focus, Nick picked up a scent.

“It’s getting louder,” Judy said, “Careful marches ahead of us.”

“I smell them…” Nick sniffed and peered through the darkness beyond the curtain of trees. Nothing was visible yet. “Do you think they have big mammals with them?”

“Wolves and cats probably,” Judy replied. “They won’t bring any rhinos or elephants on an ambush. Cats are the fittest. What do you smell?”

Nick snuffed. “Kind of hard to tell their species with lavender shampoo. Do cats like lavender scents?”

Judy paused and no sooner after her halt, she pushed Nick out of the way.

A dart flew swiftly past to where Nick once stood. It arrowed the metal wall but failed to penetrate and was deflected elsewhere.

Nick stumbled on the floor but got up immediately and ran Judy’s direction, pulling the bunny to head below deck where Rocket was.

“I think we’re surrounded,” Judy said. “How are we gonna escape?”

“Let’s hope Rocket has something.”

When they arrived at the area, the raccoon was already finishing up.

“Took you long enough,” Rocket said.

There was a bag on top of his working table and three badge-like switches. Without any permission, Rocket took the peculiar machinery and attached them on Nick and Judy’s back.

“What’s this exactly?” Nick asked which the raccoon answered with a question.

“Have you ever flown before?”

“Seriously, what are these?” Judy asked as well as she reached in for her back to pick the small item up but stuck to her like glue.

“They’re called aero-rigs and with just a push,” Rocket wore his to demonstrate how the gadget worked, “You have an instant jetpack and chest armor.” From that small item no bigger than Nick’s paw, it projected a fully functioning jetpack but granted it was not just a projection. It was real.

Nick tapped behind Rocket’s jetpack, amazed to have touched hard metal. And that same hard metal was contained in that flat orb they wore on their backs. He thought he’s seen Rocket at his maximum when the raccoon resuscitated Blue but heck there were more. He’s gonna have to wait at a later time for answers. Right now, escape was of number one priority.

“How do you fly this thing?” Nick asked.

Rocket was by the table, carrying the bag of manufactured death weapons. “You just…fly,” Rocket said casually.

Judy had been tampering with the aero-rig and surprised when she activated it. In a second, she was dressed in armor with the highest quality of technology she’s ever been aware of. She was just as fascinated and curious as Nick but the situation wasn’t lenient to lend them time for such minimal celebrations. The enemies were already inside the ship.

“They’re inside,” Judy said.

Rocket groaned and from the pouches on his holsters, he took out an orb with a red button at the center.

Nick and Judy watched curiously as Rocket made his way to the entrance below deck.

“You’re not gonna kill them, are you?” Judy asked.

“If we don’t, they’re gonna capture us.”

“Still, we can’t kill them,” Nick said, “They’re under commands. They’re just as innocent as us.”

Time was running. Rocket had a lot of opposing principles about battles he wanted to prove but now wasn’t the time. Escape was more imperative than anything else. So instead of throwing the bomb to the hall, killing the approaching mammals, Rocket threw the orb at a distant corner of the room where it exploded once made contact.

It destroyed the segment of the ship outward. The forest was now visible from where they stood.

“There, you guys happy?” Rocket rolled his eyes and flew out through the hole.

“Wait, how do we fly?” Nick yelled.

“Just gain vertical momentum…err…jump, I mean,” Rocket said.

Both Nick and Judy were hesitant but the team of armored mammals with their dart guns were already by the entrance of the quarter. Left with no choice, the duo sprinted toward the hole of the ship and jumped. They had their eyes closed and they expected hard ground to meet them but it was cold and windy and they didn’t seem to be falling.

When they opened their eyes, they were already past the tall pines and still ascending. Dart projectiles tried to reach them but none hit until they were out of range. Silhouettes in the sky were all they were, behind the thin clouds in the moon’s silver shower. Their fur was glinted with white as their buck-teethed and sharp fanged smile.

They held paws when they jumped and they still weren’t parted. It only took a flying raccoon that turned behind them to let out a sarcastic comment of how gross they looked flying like that.

“You look like Star-munch and Gamora,” Rocket remarked and turned ahead of them.

Embarrassed, Nick and Judy withdrew their paws and averted blushing faces from each other.

“Where…are we going exactly?” Judy flew beside Rocket.

Rocket tilted his head to the bunny. “I don’t know. I don’t live here, may I remind you of that. I’m just flying to get away from those crazy animals.”

“We need a temporary base,” Nick joined in. “A safe-house where we could formulate our plans. Just a quick reminder that we don’t know where they took Blue and Groot.”

Judy thought for a while. “I think I know a place…” she smiled, “With these aero-rigs, we’d get there in no time.”

***

It went over Nick’s head that Judy might take them to Bunny Burrow. He wasn’t wrong. That was where Judy took them.

They landed outside the Hopps’ property, yards away from the fence. The Hopps’ farm could be seen just shortly beyond. The crop field’s rim was lined with nighthowlers—easy to distinguish.

“For real, Carrots?” Nick said as he scoped on the farm.

“Not there though,” Judy said with a hint of sadness in her voice. “I miss them so much and I just want to say Hi but…I don’t want them to get involved with all this. In time, I’ll explain.”

“Then where do you plan we reside?” Rocket asked.

“Somewhere nearby…”

The air was filled with the aroma of crisp bread and warm blueberries. Nick had snuffed the scent before Rocket and Judy, and the raccoon not long after. Amid the woods with no residence in sight, Nick wondered where the smell of pastry possibly came from.

“Right now, I feel like we’re in a fairy tale,” Nick remarked. His snout was high in the air, capturing the aroma that only seemed to grow stronger as they trudged forward. “We’re not going to a witch’s gingerbread house now, are we?”

“Don’t be ridiculous.” Judy snorted. She pulled out her phone from her pocket and looked at the time. It was five in the morning. The sun was an hour away from rising but the East had a light splash of blue reaching outwards beyond the mountain ranges.

“Right now, this smell is just making me hungry,” Rocket said grumpily. His steps were lethargic because of the giant backpack he carried and yet he denied assistance from the fox and the bunny when it came up. “Remind me where this safe-house is again?”

Judy was now ahead and further out after the tree lining was a cream fence which divided a small private property from the forest. There was a small cottage inside about two floors high with a chimney puffing out white smoke and adjacent to the building, was a red delivery truck with a print in its body which Nick read, “Gideon Grey’s Real Good Baked Stuff.”

“Who the hell’s Gideon Grey?” Rocket asked.

And quickly thereafter, they see a fox with a butterfly comb and stouter appearance compared to Nick. He carried a tray of blueberry pies which he loaded inside the red truck before proceeding inside once again to retrieve more.

Nick’s mouth dropped open. “Gideon Grey—the fox who bullied you as a child?”

“Bullied, yes,” Judy confirmed, “With an e-d in the end. Now he works with my family.”

“Great,” Rocket interjected before Nick could say anything else. He jumped over the fence, instructing the two to follow him. “I’m hungry and I could go for some of that good smelling stuff.”

“Wait, Rocket—” Judy followed the raccoon but by the time she caught up with him, Rocket was already helping himself with a blueberry pie.

Nick followed shortly thereafter, hands inside his pockets as he watched the raccoon with smears of blueberry filling outside his muzzle. He was hungry too and with blueberry pies…he could just about go savage for some right now. It was when he decided to have a slice did the stouter fox notice him.

“Well howdy there,” Gideon greeted with his natural country accent. It caught Nick’s ears as well as Judy’s seeing as the bunny immediately showed herself from behind the truck to apologize in Rocket’s place.

“Gideon,” Judy pushed her face back and hysterically approached the fox. “I apologize in advance for my friend’s behavior and I’ve got a favor to ask.”

Gideon chuckled with a tray of steaming blueberry pies in hand which the other fox had his eyes hungrily fixated on. “I haven’t seen any misbehavior yet for you to apologize. Come inside for some breakfast first and we can talk over the favor.”

Judy laughed wryly, scratching her elbows as a sheepish response. “My ugh…other friend. He’s not from here, you see and…he’s a little _wild._ ”

Gideon smiled. “Y’all look like you still haven’t eaten,” he said warmly. “Let’s discuss it over a hot cup of coffee and pancakes.” He looked at Nick for a second, “and perhaps some blueberry pie for your other friend there. I know we foxes have a sweet tooth for blueberries.”

***

Gideon was speechless. He was leaning forward, elbows on top of the table and paws paired as he pondered over Judy’s full story of what happened and was happening so far. His plate was left half-eaten moments ago when Judy explained Rocket’s origin and two other alien beings. Perhaps it was his full interest on the matter that took away his appetite or it could be when Judy told him all about the void and Earth’s impending doom.

“I-I gotta think over what’s happenin’,” Gideon said as he stood up and started cleaning the table. “Y’all finished eatin?” he asked.

Rocket’s plate was clean. Despite eating before the breakfast Gideon laid out for them, he still managed to stuff it all inside his stomach. Nick was no different. The only plates that had food in it were Judy’s and Gideon’s—had Judy been explaining their situation and Gideon listening.

“Gideon…” Judy whispered her voice of sincere plea. “Right now, you’re all we have…for the most of it, I expect you to help us but if you don’t…the least you could do is act like we’ve never been here.”

Gideon picked off the plates, stacking them on top of each other in slow motion…as if he was making the decision inside his head and working altogether.

“When we were young, Judy, I believed it was impossible for a bunny to become a cop,” Gideon chuckled subtly, “In my narrow youth, that was impossibility and now you’re a cop…and there are aliens too…” he sighed. “I’ll help y’all in one condition… _save_ the world. My pie-baking days aren’t over yet.”

Judy was overjoyed and so was Nick. Rocket felt neutral, claiming he had already seen it coming.

Judy leapt over to Gideon and gave him a hug. “Thank you, thank you, thank you!” Judy laughed frivolously.

Nick’s smile died down a little which the raccoon seemed to notice.

“Shame…” Rocket remarked.

Nick rolled his eyes and walked out of the kitchen.


	8. Cliffside Asylum

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> http://www.furaffinity.net/view/27065712/ <==Book Cover
> 
> I can't seem to add it. It won't appear when I insert it. So I'll just leave the link at the chapter notes. Anyway, I'm back and determined to finish this story.

Blue reigned over the quasigovernmental facility managed by Jack Savage. Although Blue was difficult to get along with, there was a part of him that Jack liked. He wasn’t sure what. Blue was enigmatic but openly _persistent_ —that meaning, he will do anything and everything to achieve a certain goal.

Blue’s first request was the remnant of his destroyed ship so he could fix it and create the necessary tools to close the quantum gate. Additionally, Jack Savage had the mammals he dispatched armed with dart guns should they ever encounter the rogue officers and the other alien subject.

Judy was such a disappointment, Jack thought. If she hadn’t betrayed him, she would have been part of a historical event that would never be forgotten or the least, she could have been on the winning side.

The team Jack dispatched had finally arrived and the destroyed ship was retrieved.

“The rogue officers and the alien subject managed to flee,” said a leopard which was also the squad leader.

Jack shrugged. “It doesn’t matter,” he sighed, “Eventually, we’ll capture them.” And he headed to Blue’s private quarter.

The feline was busy tinkering with machinery when Jack arrived. The whole room was lights out except for a certain area where sparks emanated along echoes of metal-metal grazes. Blue keenly sat on a footstool, shoulders tensed up as he worked on a device on the table. Although his focus was completely on mechanizing, his intuition told him of the approaching bunny from behind.

“You got my ship?” Blue didn’t even turn behind him as he asked the question and Jack, stopped on his tracks, coughed to adjust his voice.

“Yes.”

“Good,” Blue remarked and then stopped whatever he was doing. “And Rocket?”

“Escaped.”

“As expected,” Blue sighed. He got up from his seat and walked past Jack Savage. The bunny agent trailed behind, thinking to himself if the feline knew where he was going. He was yet to tell where they placed Blue’s ship and the cat seemed to know more. It hasn’t been a day after Blue’s terms and Blue already seemed to know a lot about his working place. Until just recently, he was a dangerous unit contained in the interrogation room.

***

Blue was inside the remnant of his ship. He was digging through his crates but couldn’t seem to find what he was looking for.

“He took them all,” Blue said to himself. Without the premade pieces, he would really start from scrap in fixing his ship. And it meant that he couldn’t weave the cloth. He had to make the threads first.

Jack walked in on Blue. The feline was highly irritated, just trying to keep his calm.

“You alright?” Jack asked.

“No!” Blue hissed. The tail on his fur bushed. He planted his paws on his waists and pondered for a moment. “How many ships did you retrieve?”

“Including yours, two.”

“So you have the raccoon’s ship?”

Jack nodded.

And that was all the answer Blue needed. If Rocket used his resources, he’d get back by using the raccoon’s resources. “I think I have a plan.”

***

They were on the second floor, inside Gideon’s room. There was a giant blank tarpaulin spread across the floorboard and four mammals on each side. Judy had a chunk of charcoal held in one paw which she used to illustrate the dynamics of their plan. On the bed, laid a gigantic bag with queer looking guns and metallic objects. The room was shrouded in darkness by thick curtains that covered the windows and every possible opening from the outside.

“This isn’t going to work,” Judy complained. “I can’t see well in this dark unlike the three of you.”

“We can’t risk opening the windows,” Nick said. “There might be spies.”

“Hold on, I’ll light a candle.” Gideon got up and was about to head out of the room to retrieve a candle and some matches when Rocket simply stretched behind him to where the giant bag was placed on the bed and took out a metal orb. He pressed a small button from it and the orb glowed blue.

“That’ll do it then?” Gideon asked, reluctant to take a seat.

“That’ll do it,” Judy said.

“Alright let’s get on with it,” Rocket followed.

Judy sprawled on the tarpaulin, reaching toward the center. With the piece of charcoal, she drew the above-head view of the Cliffside Asylum all from her memory back in the Nighthowler case and her recent visit. After she finished the outline, she began at the first edge and labeled it ‘Entrance’ and then she traced a long line until she reached somewhere in the middle.

“The route is simple and easy to memorize,” Judy said as she slightly pulled back to let Nick and the others see the illustration. She continued, “But what will make it difficult is the security.”

Nick and Gideon keenly listened, taking the matter solemnly and to heart but Rocket felt different. He was relaxed and underestimated what the majority deemed complicated.

“Easy enough,” Rocket said. “I don’t think we even need a plan. We could just charge at them head on.”

“Are you crazy?” Nick retorted. “We can’t just do that.”

Judy agreed, nodding her head. “Nick’s right. We can’t be rash.”

“Why not?” Rocket asked.

“The consequence of charging head on is a mass chain effect--faster than dominoes falling.” Nick looked at Rocket’s direction.

Judy added, “If we don’t plan carefully, we could cause widespread panic. There could be lots of casualties.”

Rocket yawned which seemed to have annoyed Nick and Judy but that was only because Rocket had very different experiences about prison breaks and battles. He kept on forgetting that he couldn’t cause too much attention on him whereas back in his original universe, it didn’t matter if their escapes were scandalous or not.

Gideon joined in the conversation. “I-I do agree with Nick and Judy,” he said. “But didn’t you also mention that your archenemy was captured?”

Rocket turned his focus on Gideon. “So?”

“It’s just a speculation but when Judy told me how that blue kitty-cat sacrificed himself, I thought somethin’ smelled fishy.”

At Gideon’s mention, a seed of doubt grew branching roots of speculations in Nick and Judy’s mind.

“What are you saying?” Rocket leaned toward the stout fox.

Gideon tried his best to explain what that ‘fishy’ thing he had in his mind but found that the words weren’t coming to him so he ended up stammering and uttering gibberish. Until Nick interjected.

“I think what Gideon’s trying to say is…Blue might have purposely let himself get captured.”

Rocket’s brows furrowed. “What ground are you standing at, foxy?”

Judy joined. “Nick is right. Think about it. Blue didn’t have any allies. I mean, I came to you all and he was cuffed arms and feet desperately trying to grab some food.”

Nick bridged Judy’s statement. “So when Savage came and Blue realized that they were after us, he saw an opportunity to switch sides.”

“That’s…that’s nonsense…” Rocket disagreed.

“Makes sense to me,” Gideon said.

“You don’t know anything,” Rocket growled. “You haven’t even seen him.”

“Yer right. I’m acting only from what I’ve heard and from what I’ve heard, both of ya came here chasin’ each other like cop and thief. If he really is a bad guy, that’s a very near possibility.”

The story was plausible and very likely. Especially with a cunning villain like Blue. Rocket knows that and what came as a surprise wasn’t the fact that Blue planned everything to switch sides. It was the fact that Rocket actually trusted Blue in that moment. Surely enough, the raccoon was certain that he could have thought Blue’s scheme all on his own but he didn’t. And he needed Gideon and the others to enlighten him of that.

After a long moment of silence, Rocket sighed deeply. “So…what’s your plan?”

Judy nodded her head once and crawled back near the center to begin illustrating the plan. “Nick and I had already been to Cliffside asylum once so that’s a key advantage for us.”

Outside the charcoal lines Judy had drawn, she draw a bridge. “We’re gonna have to pass this bridge again and I doubt that howling would get us in this time,” Judy said. “There’s a variety of police officers and government agents stationed outside. Any ideas how we could get past the bridge?”

Nick thought for a long while, slightly distracted by the warm aroma of blueberry pie which Gideon’s house smelled like. And then it occurred to him. “Pies…all sorts of pies.”

The trio looked at him curiously.

“You’re hungry right now, Nick?” Judy raised a brow.

“No. No,” Nick smirked and offered his paws in front of his chest as if making a small box. “Pie delivery. Courtesy of the ZPD.”

“It’s a highly guarded facility,” Gideon said. “Do you think they’d let me in?”

“I think they would,” Judy wasn’t sure but she vaguely recalled her recent visit. She saw an officer eating a slice of pizza and that could have been delivered to the asylum. “It’s a chance we can bet on.”

“How many percent?” Rocket asked.

“Forty-sixty percent?” Judy’s tone rose.

“Meh. We succeeded in twelve percent.”

Nick borrowed the charcoal piece from Judy and circled the entrance of the bridge. “Okay so Gideon delivers pies courtesy of the ZPD. What if they don’t let the vehicle past the bridge?”

“I think I could have that covered. I have a giant trolley. Y’all could hide under it.”

“That could work,” Judy said. She borrowed the charcoal piece from Nick and began on the entrance once more. She traced a line from the entrance. “Once you get in, this will be your route, Gideon. You have to remember this. This is very important.”

Gideon listened carefully and placed all his attention to the lines Judy drew and the directions and hallmarks she gave. After she finished, Gideon recalled everything and made sure the information stayed in his mind.

“Once you drop us at location one. Park somewhere not far but hidden. You’ll also be the getaway car.”

Gideon swallowed. He wasn’t sure if he could handle such a responsibility. But he had to be strong. For his own sake and every living being on Earth. Their plan may seem like a jailbreak but it was so much more than that.

***

They waited until it was night. Their plan to deliver pies couldn’t just be executed at any time. It had to be a little later on dinner time so there would be less suspicion. Gideon silently drove his car at the entrance of Cliffside Asylum before the bridge. Nick and Rocket were already hidden inside the cart wrapped in a white blanket with the strongest aroma of pie that could slip them past wolf officers. Judy was also at the back of the truck, watching through the screen to help Gideon with some identifications.

“Drive slower,” Judy instructed which Gideon followed. The bunny officer peered through the screen and recognized the police officer guarding the bridge. It was Wolford. “Alright, the name of that officer is Wolford. You remember what to say: Chief Bogo sent you.”

Gideon swallowed and nodded his head once. “Okay, I got this.”

Thereafter, Judy joined Nick and Rocket under the trolley.

Gideon pulled over the guard station where he was immediately met by the wolf. His eyes lingered far in front of him--to the teams of ZPD officers and outside agents all chatting in radios and patrolling the area.

Just breather, Gideon reminded himself and recalled the route Judy drew.

The wolf officer was already outside Gideon’s windshield and tapped his paw, indicating the fox to lower his window.

At first, Gideon was a bit nervous but Judy told him that he shouldn’t let anyone see through him lest their plan would be foiled before they could execute it.

“Many mammals out there tonight, yeah? I could see why the Chief Bogo ordered a lot of pies.”

Wolford’s face was stoic, trying to read through the fox. “The…chief ordered all these pies?”

“No other,” said Gideon.

Wolford didn’t seem convinced and he was about to call someone on his radio but another officer interrupted him.

“Hey, Wolford, is that a mobile pie shop?” It was officer Delgato, jogging toward them.

Wolford placed a paw behind his neck and sloppily looked over his shoulder to officer Delgato. “It’s supposedly from the chief.”

“The chief?” Delgato didn’t seem convinced either. He pinched his chin with his paw and pondered for a while. “Oh it must be agent Savage through the Chief. I heard from Trunkerbee that the bunny agent was celebrating the second capture.”

Wolford shrugged. “What the heck. I’m very hungry right now.” He turned his attention toward the fox. “So what’s the ration? Did the chief give you a list?”

The stout fox perked up a little when the attention was placed on him. “The, ugh, rations, yeah…” Gideon looked around his truck and beside the driver’s seat, he saw a box of pie. He took it immediately. “One box for the guard station, that’s what the chief said and the rest of them pies goes in there.”

“One box only?” Delgato asked. “The chief should have considered giving a tiger and a wolf bigger portions.”

Gideon chuckled nervously. “Don’t worry, y’all. I have extra pies back there. I’ll give you one on the way out. How does that sound?”

“Free of charge? Deal.” Wolford grabbed the box and opened it. The moment the aroma of blueberry pie escaped the air, the two officers were fighting over it but they didn’t forget to permit entrance to the fox.

Gideon drove slowly toward the asylum. The nearer he got, the more his heart wanted to pop out of his chest. Hearing the splashing of the falling water didn’t help at all in easing him. Before he even arrived at the asylum, there was already a number of officers and agents all wanting to interrogate him but he did not stop for their sake. He parked just outside the entrance of the asylum and took a deep breath before jumping out of his truck.

“Howdy,” he greet and wiped his hands on his apron. Wearing his best smile, he acted as casually as he could and acting his way out of the cornering situation. “The chief didn’t tell me that y’alls are havin’ a pie party. Lucky for you folks, he got the best pastry chef in all of the Triburrows __and__  Zootopia.”

Whatever Gideon’s act was, it seemed to be working for no officer or outside agent dared question him since he got out of his truck. He opened the back of his truck and touched the first trolley where Judy, Nick and Rocket were. He placed the rump down the opening and pulled the first trolley.

“Let me help you there.” A hippo officer placed his hooves on the cart. Gideon acted rashly, pulling the cart from the officer protectively. And when the officer eyed him for a moment, Gideon gave out his alibi.

“I can’t let you sir be doing my work, no siree,” Gideon said but the officer was insistent.

“We’d be able to distribute these pies to the hungry agents and officers faster if you let me help.”

As the officer walked to assist Gideon once again, the fox thought quickly and pointed to his truck. “Very well then. I have more trolleys inside the truck. You could start with that.”

The hippo turned to the truck and spotted the next trolley, similar as the one Gideon held--wrapped in a white mantel with steaming pies on top and inside. As the officer distributed from the outside, Gideon entered the asylum. From there, he had to rely on his memory. Their strategy was simple--hand out pies to officers or agents that will possibly come their way on the route.

First take a left, Gideon recalled inside his mind. He walked the air conditioned halls where, ironically, he felt much hotter than outside. Two agents chatting with each other were about to pass him. Gideon readied the first pan of pie. The two agents, who were panthers, sniffed the air before spotting the stout fox about to give them pie.

“Courtesy of the ZPD.” Gideon smiled. The two officers didn’t seem to mind but after taking the pie, quickly asked the fox.

“Do you know your way around here?” asked the first agent.

“I’ll try my best not to get lost,” Gideon answered.

The first agent opted to elaborate but the second one shook him off with a remark. “He’ll know where not to go. There are signs.” And then he looked at Gideon. “You won’t get lost. Just follow the signs.”

“Will do,” Gideon walked forward. His memory of the route he was supposed to take became slightly blurry because of all the pressure he had been feeling. And the worst part of it was that he couldn’t just bend down and ask Judy because the cameras were also equipped with ultra-sensitive mics.

He tried relaxing for a moment and recalled his steps. This is still the first hall, Gideon reminded himself. He still didn’t take his second turn which was going to be a right. And then after that, the elevator to the top floor and then take another right at the end of the first hall.

Gideon repeated the directions inside his mind like it was his mantra as he walked. He turned right and already spotted the elevator he was going to use. He encountered no mammals on his way to the elevator but when the elevator parted open, a crowd of big mammals met Gideon.

“Pie,” said one of the agents.

“Is this agent Savage’s little surprise for us?” asked one again.

“Could be,” said another.

And they all huddled around Gideon, as the fox endeavored to reach them all some pies. By the time Gideon was able to use the elevator, he was already out of pies. And that meant that he had no more to hand out should he encounter another mammal. This was bad, Gideon thought. He wanted to ask Judy or the others for guidance but that was something he couldn’t do lest they be caught.

He pocketed his paw and cupped something hard and metallic inside. The texture was familiar to him and he was immediately reminded of a step he forgot to take. He was supposed to place it on the button of the elevator from outside. He didn’t specifically know what Rocket wanted him to do that for but he reckoned it was something important.

When the elevator opened at the top floor, Gideon proceeded with the plan: get Judy, Nick and Rocket at location one. Afterwards, he could just place that metal tech on his way down. From the elevator, the route seemed pretty clear and smooth. No more mammals he encountered. When he arrived at location one, he pulled the mantel that covered the trolley because, as Judy have said, there were no cameras there. But Gideon was surprised to death when he saw that his trolley was empty. He brought the wrong one.


End file.
